Béchamel
It might even sound like a simple white sauce made with milk and thickened with flour and butter. However, Béchamel is much more than that! It is an icon sauce and is present in restaurants and home kitchens around the world.
Equipment
- Sieve or chinoy
- Whisk
- Double-bottom saucepan
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 60 g Flour
- 60 g Butter
- 1 liter Milk
- 1 pc Onion - halved
- 2 pcs Cloves
- 1 pc Bay leaf
- 1 pc Bouquet garni
- Salt to taste
- White pepper to taste
- Nutmeg to taste
Instructions
Mise en place
- Onion pique: Peel the onion. Then, cut it in half and trim off the root end. Attach 1 bay leaf to the cut-side of the onion using the cloves as pins.Bouquet garni: Parsley stalks, 1 bay leaf, 1 celery stalk, wrapped in a green leek leaf, tied with culinary string.
Roux preparation
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the flour and cook for 3mins. Set aside to cool.
Sauce preparation
- In a separate saucepan, heat the milk with the onion studded with cloves and bay leaf until it is just about to boil, and let it infuse for 30 minutes.
- Temper the roux with a little warm milk. Then, add to the rest of the milk.
- Add the bouquet garni and season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat until it reaches the nappé consistence.
- Strain through a fine sieve or chinoy into a clean pan. Serve or reserve in a bain-marie.
Notes
Béchamel, is a versatile white sauce that can go along with fish, seafood, meats, vegetables, spooned over pasta filling pies, or smeared onto sandwiches.
Despite being one of the five mother sauces of French cuisine, its preparation is easy to master.
Why not start heating the milk and preparing it right now?
I hope this article has improved your cooking skills. To learn more culinary, take a look at Espagnole Sauce: Learn How to Make French Brown Sauce