How to make béchamel sauce
White creamy béchamel sauce is the basis of the bases, the so-called whale, on which many French dishes are based. Prepared on the basis of roux and liquid, most often milk or cream, but bechamel is found in broth. The French call the word ru (roux) a mass obtained from flour fried in butter. Roux comes in different colors, depending on the degree of roast. Light roux is used to make béchamel sauce (for example, veloute sauce is made from golden roux).
The formula of the classic béchamel sauce is simple and easy to remember - 1 part flour, 1 part butter and 10 parts milk (or other liquid). Remember that bechamel is a "mother" sauce, on the basis of which various options are obtained, thicker or thinner than the main one.
Béchamel sauce does not like haste and keeps some secrets, not knowing which, instead of a delicious sauce, you can get indistinct plasticine or putty. Suitable for windows, not for a lunch menu.
Cooking bechamel is most convenient in a heavy saucepan with a long handle to hold the dishes tightly. A thick-bottomed teflon saucepan will do just fine, but Mom's thin aluminum saucepan is by no means. To obtain the real taste of creamy béchamel, the sauce is cooked either for 5-7 minutes, or for more than half an hour. Otherwise, the taste of the paste cannot be avoided (it is always surprising - did someone really eat the paste? How is its taste known?). The fact is that different types and sorts of flour thicken in different ways, therefore, if the sauce does not "grab" in the first minutes, you will have to stand next to it for a longer time, stirring.
Another immutable point in the preparation of sauce is the different temperature of the liquid and the ru. If the roux is prepared ahead of time and has cooled down, then you need to dilute the mixture with boiling milk, and if the sauce is prepared immediately, then cold milk is poured into the hot roux.
Of the spices, the base béchamel sauce accepts only salt and pepper, more often ground white so that the color of the dish is not spoiled by splashes of black pepper. The French are not only gourmets, but also aesthetes. You can often see ground nutmeg in recipes, but the sauce with its addition is no longer suitable for all dishes, like the classic béchamel.
Bechamel sauce - classic
Ingredients:
Butter - 50 gr.
- Flour - 50 gr.
- Milk - 500 gr.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Dilute the butter over low heat, sift the flour into it through a sieve and stir thoroughly so that no lumps remain. When the mass (ru) begins to bubble, remove the pan from the heat and gradually, slowly and constantly stirring, pour in a third of the milk. Has the mixture become thick and homogeneous? Great, pour in the remaining milk, stir and return the dish to the fire. With constant stirring, let it boil, reduce heat slightly and cook for 5 minutes. You can slow down the stirring rate, but keep stirring the entire cooking time. Season with salt, add pepper, remove from heat and transfer to a beautiful gravy boat.
Bechamel sauce with onions
Ingredients:
Butter - 100 gr.
- Flour - 100 gr.
- Bulb onions - 1 pc.
- Milk - 350 gr.
- Beef broth - 200 gr.
- Salt, black pepper - to taste.
Finely chop the onion at random, fry in hot oil until soft, add flour and mix everything thoroughly. After removing from heat, pour in the broth in small portions, without ceasing to interfere. After the lumps of flour disappear, add milk, stir and let it boil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, season with salt and pepper, serve.
Bechamel sauce with spices
Ingredients:
Butter - 50 gr.
- Flour - 50 gr.
- Milk - 500 gr.
- Shallots - 1 pc.
- Bay leaf - 1 pc.
- Cloves - 2-3 pcs.
- Nutmeg - small piece
- White pepper - 5 pcs.
- Salt to taste.
Cement the spices in a mortar, add to the milk and boil for 10-15 minutes, strain, cool the milk. Prepare the roux - fry the onion and flour in hot oil until light golden brown, gently add cold milk, without ceasing to interfere with cooking for 7 minutes.
Another option is to prepare the roux in advance and cool it, boil the milk with spices and add to the roux.
Bechamel sauce can be cooked in olive oil (instead of butter), with mushrooms, with cream, completely replacing milk with broth. The sauce goes well with lasagne, spaghetti and other types of pasta, especially those that are usually baked. Meat, fish, poultry, stewed and grilled vegetables will sparkle with new flavors when served with béchamel sauce.
Author: Victoria N. (specially for Calorizator.ru)
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