Bechamel is a classic creamy white sauce made from butter, flour and milk that is a foundation of French cuisine.
Béchamel
Also known as a white roux, it can be flavored many ways and used as the base for other sauces, soups, gratins and casseroles. Knowing how to make a bechamel gives you a versatile cooking tool for all kinds of dishes.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp finely chopped shallot or onion (optional)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups low-fat (1 percent) milk
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground white or black pepper
Directions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the shallot or onion, and cook, stirring, until softened, about three minutes. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring, for about three minutes until smooth and bubbling but not browned. The paste should have the texture of wet sand. Whisk in the milk all at once, and bring to a simmer, whisking all the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Turn the heat to very low, and simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and lost its raw flour taste. Season with salt and pepper. Strain while hot into a heatproof bowl or a Pyrex measuring cup.
- You can make a béchamel up to a day ahead of using it. Keep in the refrigerator. If you lay a sheet of plastic or wax paper directly on the top, there is less chance that a skin will form. If it does, whisk vigorously when you reheat the béchamel and the sauce should be as smooth as it was when you made it. Thin out if necessary with milk or stock.
- Variation: Substitute vegetable stock for the milk for a vegan version of this sauce.
86 calories· 5 g fat· 1 g saturated fat· 5 mg cholesterol· 6 g carbohydrates· 0 g dietary fiber· 43 mg sodium (does not include salt added during cooking)· 3 g protein·