Wednesday, July 12, 2023

What Is Bechamel?



It’s a simple white sauce consisting of roux, milk, and a few other ingredients and is one of the 5 mother sauces in French cuisine. From this sauce, you can make Mornay, Nantua, and soubise, among others. You have some time to devote to the stove and you want to try your hand at preparing the béchamel sauce. It is true, you could "settle" for what you buy at the supermarket, on the market there are different types and all very good. In this article I will explain how to prepare a tasty béchamel sauce that you will use to season a good baked pasta, to put in lasagna and so you will amaze all your diners. The béchamel sauce is a simple sauce made with a roux (butter and flour) and milk. Often flavored with mustard or nutmeg, it is popular in many cuisines and is a great sauce to have in your repertoire. It is considered one of the mother sauces as it is the basis of many other sauces and is indispensable in many recipes.

The béchamel sauce is one of the most versatile basic sauces in the kitchen: easy and quick to make, it is perfect for giving an edge to many different dishes, from lasagna to baked pasta, such as au gratin with fennel for example, up to spinach or chicken breast! His paternity is claimed by both the French and the Italians. The most accredited hypothesis is that it was Catherine de 'Medici who imported it to France with the name it had then, or "glue sauce". But it is thanks to the courtier Louis de Béchameil that it then took the name of béchamel sauce despite Pellegrino Artusi preferred to Italianize it in his recipe book with the name of "balsamella", now in disuse. Discover all the secrets to get a perfect homemade béchamel sauce creamy and without lumps and I bet that you will never resort to the packaged one again!

Ingredients

Butter
Flour
Milk, Whole milk. Half and half can also be used.
Chili pepper
Mustard
Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

Procedure

Prepare the roux: melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until the roux takes on a very light golden color. Cook the sauce: stir in the milk, little by little, until the sauce is smooth and the milk has incorporated. Lower the heat and let it simmer, stirring regularly, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add the spices and cheese (if used) and mix. Season to taste.

Tips for a perfect béchamel sauce
Always use enough butter as this coats the flour and helps prevent lumps.

However, excessive use of fat can cause the sauce to break. If this happens, just make a mixture of milk and flour and add it to the sauce and continue cooking until the mixture is smooth.

The use of warm milk will avoid the formation of lumps, resulting in a smooth and silky sauce. Keep the whip always close. Using a wooden spoon is fine (especially when cheese has been added), but a whisk works the lumps and ensures that the spices are evenly distributed.

Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure everything is well incorporated.

What if my sauce is still lumpy? If after beating the sauce still sticks to you, pass with a hand blender or transfer the sauce to a regular blender and blender.

We all have mishaps in the kitchen and what's the point of having extravagant gadgets if we don't use them? No one will know that your sauce didn't start off as smooth as silk. Promise!

You can prepare this sauce, then transfer it to an airtight container or bowl and press a piece of cling film or cling film onto the surface of the sauce to prevent skin from forming.

Put the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, then gently heat in a pot or saucepan before using. I would not recommend freezing the sauce because it may split once thawed.

If the sauce gets too thick when making it or reheating it, add a 1/4 cup of hot milk until it is to a thinner consistency. You must wait for the sauce to boil after mixing it in the roux to thicken. Otherwise, it will remain on the thinner side.

 

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