Raw foodists love to sing broccoli’s praises, telling of the folate and antioxidants in the crunchy green stems. But my kids refuse to join the chorus. For some reason, they’ll happily eat turnips and radishes and kale but whine and pout about broccoli. To get this Super Food into their tummies at dinner last night, I knew I needed to A) cook it (raw was out of the question). I also needed to B) perk it up. And I knew just what would do the trick: sauce Mornay.
You might not recognize the French name, but you’ve likely tasted this creamy white sauce, a staple of French cuisine. Essentially a bechamel flavored with cheese, sauce mornay is a classic with chicken, vegetables and even fish. Unfortunately, after an entire generation insisted on using it to drown often overcooked vegetables, it fell out of favor.
Now we’ve swung so far to the other side of the spectrum that the concept of a white sauce is a novelty. Indeed, my kids were stunned to find a platter of sauce-covered broccoli at the dinner table. “What is it?” they wanted to know. After a few bites their skepticism faded and the broccoli disappeared in record time.
Sauce Mornay
1 T butter
1 1/2 T flour
1 cup hot milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and whisk in flour. Stir and let bubble for about two minutes. Remove from heat and add hot milk. Whisk until mixture comes to a boil. Raise heat and boil for one minute, stirring well. Remove from heat and add cheese, salt and pepper. This recipe can be easily doubled.
Radishes are not a favorite in my house. Probably not in yours, either. My kids don’t clamor for radishes. My husband never pulls one out of the fridge to snack on. If I make a cold salad involving radishes, they inevitably end up pushed to the side of the plate. Normally I can live with this, but not this week when radishes were one of the only local vegetables to be found at the farmers market.
