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Bechamel sauce

  • Time 15 minutes
  • Yield
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Also called CREAM SAUCE or WHITE SAUCE This basic French white sauce is made by stirring milk into a mixture of butter and flour, called roux. The thickness of the sauce depends on the proportion of flour and butter to milk. The amount of flour determines the thickness of the sauce. For a thin sauce: 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour per 1 cup of milk; a medium sauce: 2 tablespoons each of butter and flour per 1 cup of milk; a thick sauce: 3 tablespoons each per 1 cup of milk. Béchamel, the base of many other sauces, was named after its inventor, Louis de Béchamel, a steward to Louis XIV's.

main ingredients: type of recipe: sauce  cuisine: France  

Ingredients

    2 tablespoons butter
    2 tablespoons flour
    1 1/4 cups milk, heated
    salt and freshly ground white pepper
    1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation

    Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don't let it brown - about 2 minutes.
    Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and nutmeg; lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more.
    Remove from the heat. To cool this sauce for later use, cover it with wax paper to prevent a skin from forming.
    Cheese Sauce. Stir in 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking, along with a pinch of cayenne pepper.
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