bechamel sauce
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From Giada De Laurentiis Everyday Italian. She says - This sauce is named after the Marquis de Bechamel. In Italian, it's called balsamella or besciamella. The original and full French version also involves steeping some onion and a bay leaf in milk for 30 minutes to infuse the sauce with more flavor but here's an everyday approach. My simplified version is a snap to make and is perfect with baked rigatoni with bechamel sauce. You could also use it the way you would hollandaise sauce.
yield
4 cups
prep time
15 Min
cook time
15 Min
method
Stove Top
Ingredients For bechamel sauce
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5 Tbspunsalted butter
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1/2 cflour
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4 cwhole milk, warm
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1/2 tspsalt, to tasste
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1 pinchground white pepper, to taste
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1 pinchnutmeg, freshly grated, to taste
How To Make bechamel sauce
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1In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
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2Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
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3Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming.
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4Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes.
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5Do not allow the bechamel sauce to boil.
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6Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch each of white pepper and nutmeg.
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7Season the sauce with more salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
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8The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate.
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