White Sauce

Recipe No. 497 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Sauces. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Thin — as needed
• Fat, melted — 8 ounces (⅓ mess kit cup)
• Flour, sifted — 4 ounces (⅓ mess kit cup)
• Salt — 1 ounce (2 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — as needed
• Milk, evaporated — 4 — 14½-ounce cans
• Water (for milk) — 2 quarts (2 No. 56 dippers)
• Medium — as needed
• Fat, melted — 14 ounces (½ mess kit cup)
• Flour, sifted — 7 ounces (½ mess kit cup)
• Salt — 1 ounce (2 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — as needed
• Milk, evaporated — 4 — 14½-ounce cans
• Water (for milk) — 2 quarts (2 No. 56 dippers)
• Thick — as needed
• Fat, melted — 1½ pounds (1 mess kit cup)
• Flour, sifted — 12 ounces (1 mess kit cup)
• Salt — 1½ ounces (3 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — as needed
• Milk, evaporated — 4 — 14½-ounce cans
• Water (for milk) — 2 quarts (2 No. 56 dippers)

Directions

Key ingredients

Evaporated Milk

1. Mix melted fat, flour, salt and pepper together; stir until smooth.
2. Mix milk and water; heat.
3. Add milk gradually to flour mixture; stir until thoroughly mixed.
4. Heat to boiling point; boil 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Thin — to taste Fat, melted — ⅔ oz Flour, sifted — about 2 tsp Salt — about ½ tsp Pepper — to taste Milk, evaporated — ½ can (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 10¼ tbsp Medium — to taste Fat, melted — 1 oz Flour, sifted — ½ oz Salt — about ½ tsp Pepper — to taste Milk, evaporated — ½ can (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 10¼ tbsp Thick — to taste Fat, melted — 2 oz Flour, sifted — 1 oz Salt — about ¾ tsp Pepper — to taste Milk, evaporated — ½ can (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 10¼ tbsp

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 497, Sauces. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.