From Mastering the Art of French cooking by Child, Bertholle, and Beck
3 cups
5 Tbsp. flour
4 Tbsp. butter
2 3/4 c. boiling milk (I used cold milk, worked fine)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 c. whipping cream
1 c. coarsely grated cheese (Swiss, but others work too, just make sure to grate it yourself – pre-grated cheeses are treated with a non-sticking agent which inhibits their ability to melt smoothly into sauces)
In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan, cook the flour and butter slowly together for 2 minutes without coloring. Off heat, beat in the boiling milk and seasonings. Boil, stirring, for 1 minute.
Reduce to the summer and stir in the cream by tablespoons. Sauce should be thick enough to coat the spoon fairly heavily. Remove from heat and correct seasoning. Stir in the cheese.
Note: I used leftover sauce on pasta – thinned with a bit of cream or half-n-half, tossed into hot pasta with a bit of pasta cooking liquid, finished with salt, pepper, and generous freshly grated Parmesan, made a nice Alfredo-esque dish.