How To Make Bechamel Sauce
When cooking gets complicated or is made to sound complicated, I really start to not like it much. Although I think making sauces can be one of those complicating factors, knowing how to make one or two is a good foundation to have. One of the basic sauces which is worth having in your repertoire is Béchamel sauce. This is a sauce that uses milk as a base and can be used in a lot of different dishes. It is simple to make and can be flavored in a great many ways. This “How To Make Béchamel Sauce” post focuses on the classic way.
How To Make Béchamel Sauce – Flour, Butter, Milk
Béchamel sauce starts with making a blonde roux. Yep – melted butter whisked with flour to make a mixture that thickens a stock. In this case, the stock is milk. This roux is blonde and is cooked just enough to cook out the floury flavor. The milk can be whole or skim and is heated to a boil after its addition so it thickens fully and, as every chef in the whole world has said numerous times before, coats the back of a spoon.
How To Make Béchamel Sauce – Nutmeg?
Classically, a béchamel is seasoned with salt and pepper and nutmeg. Nutmeg, what can I say. This is the classic and it should be used to taste. I, for one, use just a pinch. I like it, but it can be overpowering.
How To Make Béchamel Sauce – The Foundation and Variations
Béchamel makes a good foundation (called a mother sauce) for many sauces. For example, add cheese and you have a mornay sauce. Simple. All variety of things can be done to up the game with this sauce -flavor the milk with herbs, add some tomato paste, etc. It can be made in lots of ways, too. Olive oil can be used instead of butter for a vegan/vegetarian option and it works just as well.
How To Make Béchamel Sauce – What To Do With Béchamel?
What to do with béchamel has an answer as long as the list of variations to the sauce. You can use it to make lasagna, as a topping on croque monsieur/madame, to make a cheese sauce for vegetables, or even a topping for pizza.
The ‘How To Make Béchamel Sauce’ video is below. The full recipe follows.
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbps flour
- 1 cup milk, whole or skim works
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- In a small pot over medium heat melt the butter.
- Add the flour all at once and whisk it together for about 1 minute being careful not to brown it.
- Whisking continuously, pour in the milk. Add the nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a simmer whisking until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
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How do you make Béchamel sauce? Let me know in the comments or on Facebook.
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