Vegetable White Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 oz butter
3 oz shallots, peeled and diced
3 oz celery, trimmed and sliced
4 oz fennel, trimmed and chopped
2 oz mushrooms, wiped and chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
1-2 tsp lemon juice

Preparation

Melt the butter in a large pan and add the shallots, celery, fennel, mushrooms and thyme. Cook gently for 5 mins then sprinkle over the flour and saute for another minute. Gradually stir in the chicken stock, scraping any sediment from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for about 30 mins until the liquid has reduced by about half.
Pour in the cream and heat through gently. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cool slightly then puree in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine sieve, stir in the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning to taste. Allow to cool then freeze in 1 cup portions for up to 3 months.