Bechamel is one of the four basic sauces of French cuisine. It is a milk-based sauce that can be served on its own, or used as a base for a more complex one. It contains only three ingredients, but can be flavored in many ways if desired.
Ingrediants
For four portions
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 1 cup of milk
Steps
Step 1. This is the basic recipe for bechamel
You can flavor this sauce in many ways if you wish.
Step 2. Put two tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan
Step 3. Heat the butter over medium heat to melt it
Step 4. Add two tablespoons of flour to make a roux, or the first stage of the sauce
Always keep the butter-flour ratio the same, regardless of the desired density of the sauce.
Step 5. Cook the roux gently, stirring well to lighten and take on the color of the straw
Step 6. Lower the heat and slowly add 2 or 3 tablespoons of milk
Step 7. Stir the milk well, until it is completely mixed in the roux
Step 8. Add another 2 or 3 tablespoons of milk and mix well to mix thoroughly
Step 9. Continue adding milk, 2 or 3 tablespoons at a time, until a full cup of milk is blended
Do it slowly; add only milk that can be easily incorporated into the sauce. Adding the milk too quickly can make the sauce lumpy.
Step 10. Remove the sauce from the stove and add salt and pepper if desired
Advice
- Add onions, cloves, bay leaves, vegetables like celery and carrots or fresh herbs like basil and parsley to the milk before reheating. Filter the ingredients you added before incorporating the milk into the roux.
- Add a small amount of nutmeg to the finished sauce just before serving.
- Store the sauce in the fridge or freeze it for future use after you've made it. Let it cool completely before doing this.
- Use white pepper when flavoring the sauce to avoid changes in color or blackheads in the finished sauce.
- Make a more diluted sauce using a tablespoon of butter and flour. Make a thicker sauce using three tablespoons of both.
