Instructions: 1) Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 7-10 minutes, or until the flour turns a deep gold. Transfer the flour immediately to a plate and cool. (There will be burnt-toast aroma. Be careful not to let the flour burn; reduce the heat if the flour seems to be browning too quickly.)

Alternatively, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brown the flour on a heavy-duty jellyroll pan in the oven for 20 minutes. Shake the pan 3every 5 minutes, until the flour takes on a deep gold appearance.

2) Once the roux is cooled, place it in a glass jar, cover and freeze it. This way it will maintain its fresh taste for 6 months.

NOTES : 2 cups

Lean suggestion: If you miss the buttery flavor of a true roux-thickened sauce, whisk a teaspoon of dry Butter Buds into your sauce at the end for every tablespoon of butter in the original recipe.

Note from Don: This is great stuff. Browning the flour give it a nutlike flavor that make butter unnecessary. If I need to thicken a sauce or gravy, I pull this roux from the freezer, measure out what I need into a cool liquid and return the rest to the freezer for next time. Then I add the liquid with the roux in a stream, whisking, to the hot liquid. Once the sauce returns to a simmer, it thickens beautifully. After the seasonings are adjust, it is ready to serve.

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