Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Basic bechamel sauce

One of the 5 mother sauces, a bechamel goes wonderfully with vegetables, meat and tomato-based dishes. It's really simple to make, but it seems that so many people make one silly mistake and end up with a watery, lumpy mess.

The top tips for a gorgeous bechamel:
- equal parts flour and butter
- use boiled milk, never cold
- add the milk in very small amounts, dash by dash
- whisk, whisk, and whisk some more
- season!!

Here's my step-by-step easy guide:


Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan.

Add 4 tablespoons of flour and mix to form a roux:


Add a dash or two of milk and whisk thoroughly until combined with the roux to form a thick paste:


Then slowly add milk, whisking thoroughly and waiting for the sauce to thicken before adding more milk. Continue adding milk, whisking and allowing to thicken until you have the desired quantity and thickness of sauce. Season and serve!


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