Garlic Cheese Sauce

Source

I originally made this sauce to go over Mung Bean Pancakes (which I'll post about next week) but when we decided to do a teriyaki pork pizza, we needed a cheesy white sauce for it. Turns out, with a few minor modifications, this sauce works great as a pizza sauce! Today, I'll post both variations - one light and saucy one for pasta or meat and one thick one for pizzas or garlic bread.

It can be quite strongly garlic, especially if you add another clove of garlic or use a persillade spice mix (parsley, minced dried garlic and salt), however, once it is cooked, it pulls together nicely and calms down. I've made it twice now and have been very happy with how it comes together -- I can see using this sauce over a lot of different items that often stump me when it comes to sauce application. Plus, it's easy to modify the thickness by using the milk to thin it to your desired texture.

Garlic Cheese Sauce I [printable recipe]

Yield: About 2 cups

  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed or grated finely
  • 2 tbsp ricotta or chevre
  • 2 ounces cream cheese or neufchatel
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp each dried basil, marjoram and oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/8 tsp (a dash) hot paprika or cayenne
  • 2 green onions, minced
  • 1/2 ounce Parmesan, Asiago or Romano
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all in a small bowl and beat together thoroughly. Alternatively, combine all in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the sauce is thick and mixed well.

Spread over a pre-baked pizza crust as a sauce, slices of french bread for a soft, garlicky spread or over savory crepes and pancakes.

Garlic Cheese Sauce II [printable recipe]

Yield: About 2 cups

  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed or grated finely
  • 2 tbsp ricotta or chevre
  • 2 ounces cream cheese or neufchatel
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/8 tsp (a dash) hot paprika or cayenne
  • 2 green onions, minced
  • 1/2 ounce Parmesan, Asiago or Romano
  • 1 tbsp white wine or broth
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all in a small bowl and beat together thoroughly. Alternatively, combine all in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the sauce is mixed well.

Ladle onto cooked pasta and toss well or pour over fillets of cooked fish or chicken for a creamy garlic sauce. Also would go well on steamed vegetables.