Béchamel (Home-made White Sauce)

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Béchamel...

A Mother Sauce

Béchamel sauce, aka white sauce, is made from a white roux (butter and flour) and milk. Even though it first appeared in Italian cooking books (constituting one of the simplest sauces of the Italian cuisine), it is now considered one of the mother sauces of French cuisine. A mother sauce is one that is used as the base for other sauces, such as Mornay sauce (recipe on this link), which is a cheese sauce (essentially Béchamel with cheese).

There is a variety of things that you can use this sauce for, the most obvious are of course all the white sauce pasta dishes. However, this sauce can also be a base for sandwiches, think chicken and mushroom melt for instance, or on pizzas, think a vegetarian pizza with a Béchamel base instead of the same old tomato sauce (recipe on this link if you still insist) … With that said, and understanding the general requirement for vegan and gluten-free, I did not want those who are intolerant to miss out, so I have also included for you a video demonstrating a vegan, gluten free Béchamel sauce, and who better to show us how than Italian cooks? so check it out.

 

This recipe is a white sauce recipe with medium consistency used for creamed dishes and is also a base for other cream-based recipes.

Ingredients

  • 2tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp organic flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 tsp DS Pink Himalayan Salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Make the Roux

Melt butter in a saucepan; making sure it is all melted before adding the flour. Stir in the flour, salt & pepper. Cook and stir over low heat until well combined.

Once combined without any dry lumps, slowly add all the milk in a thin continuous stream constantly stirring to evenly blend the roux and milk.

Cook and stir the mix over medium heat until thickened and bubbling across the entire surface. Add the nutmeg and cook stirring for 1 more minute to completely cook the flour in the sauce.

TIPS

  • For a perfect sauce, always follow recipe directions.
  • To prevent lumps from forming make sure the butter is all melted before adding the flour and keep stirring constantly.
  • If lumps do form, beat the sauce briskly with a wire whisk or using a rotary beater.
  • Never leave the sauce during cooking, and if you must make sure you take it off the heat.
  • Cook sauces over medium-low heat for no longer than the specified time. High heat and prolong cooking cause the sauce to curdle or separate.
  • To thin a white sauce for use in cream soups or creamed vegetables add 1/2 cup of milk to recipe above and prepare in the same way as the above recipe.
  • Flavour sauces with spices, cheeses, herbs…etc according to the final dish flavours.
  • Nutmeg & powdered white pepper go especially well with white sauces.

Relative links

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