Béchamel Sauce aka White Sauce
I think that one thing all kids around the world like to do when getting home from school is to run to the kitchen to see what their parents are cooking. I was lucky that my mother didn’t have to work outside and was at home every day. She was always in the kitchen (like mother, like daughter) cooking something and baking some yummy desserts and snacks. Although I had a serious sweet tooth as a child, I always enjoyed the main course. I’m not too sure if it’s because we are French Canadian but many dishes were cooked in or with sauces. It seems like there was always a sauce accompanying the meal.
When I first went out on my own, cooking was very challenging. For some reason I never really paid attention when my mother was cooking – I just didn’t have any desire to learn. I was a “tomboy” and being outside playing was my thing. My only chore in the kitchen was to wash the dishes (not by choice) and licking the beaters (totally my idea) when she was making a cake batter. Other than that I had no interest in cooking or baking.
So back when I got my first place, I started making very simple dishes although I screwed up a few and then moved on to slightly more complicated recipes. One thing I got pretty good at was making sauces. These were my savior because if I didn’t cook my dish properly, the sauce would help to cover it up… well that was my way of thinking until I became good in the kitchen.
There was a sauce my mother made often and it is Béchamel Sauce also known as White Sauce. It was used in many different dishes. It was later on that I found out that Béchamel is one of the “mother” sauces in French cuisine. It’s a very simple “basic” sauce that can be altered to other sauces such as Mornay (it’s béchamel with cheese) which I love to use quite often especially for my Mac & Cheese recipe, Soubise (onion sauce), Cheddar Cheese which is amazing on steamed vegetables or drizzled on fish (it makes a great sauce for Nachos), Écossaise, and so on. This is a sauce that every home cook should master and the technique to achieve a good Béchamel is quite simple.
Bon Appétit!
Here are other delicious sauce recipes for you to try…
– Blue Cheese Dressing
– Iguana’s Mushroom Sauce
– Hawaiian Style Teriyaki Sauce
– Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
– Tartar Sauce
– Triple Chili Wing Sauce
and for even more delicious sauce and marinade recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Sauces & Marinades
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Béchamel Sauce aka White Sauce
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Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. butter tips & tricks
- 3 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk, warm
- 1 pinch white pepper (substitute black or mixed peppercorns if desired)
- 1 small pinch ground Himalayan sea salt
- 1 small pinch freshly grated nutmeg Footnote
Directions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm up the milk – make sure it doesn’t boil.
- Meanwhile in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add butter and when it’s melted, add flour. Whisk the white roux constantly until smooth. Cook for 5 minutes or until it turns into a light golden color.
- Pour in hot milk and season with freshly ground black pepper, salt and nutmeg; whisk the blond roux continuously for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Proceed with the recipe that uses béchamel.
- If not using the sauce right away, place a piece of wax paper on top, making sure it touches the surface to prevent a skin formation.
Notes
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