Béchamel Sauce Recipe

Béchamel is probably the simplest of the mother sauces because it doesn't require
making stock. If you have milk, flour and butter, you can make a very basic
béchamel.

Béchamel is made by thickening hot milk with a simple white roux. The sauce is
then flavored with onion, cloves and nutmeg and simmered until it is creamy and
velvety smooth.

Béchamel can be used as an ingredient in baked pasta recipes like lasagna, and also
in casseroles. But it's also the basis for some of the most common white sauces,
cream sauces and cheese-based sauces. Here are some of the small sauces made
from béchamel:
 Crème Sauce
 Mornay Sauce
 Soubise Sauce
 Nantua Sauce
 Cheddar Cheese Sauce
 Mustard Sauce

This Béchamel sauce recipe makes a rich, creamy sauce used to enhance many
French recipes. Known as one of the original mother sauces of French cuisine, it
came about as an improvement upon veloute sauce. Add a few herbs to it for
variety, and it goes extremely well with vegetables. Use it as a base for multiple,
other French sauces and recipes.
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes

Ingredients:

 5 tablespoons butter
 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
 4 cups milk
 2 teaspoons salt
 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation:

How to make béchamel sauce:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour until it
forms a smooth paste. Continue whisking, cook for about 2 minutes, and then
gradually – 1/3 cup at a time - add the milk. Continue whisking and cook until the
sauce is completely heated through, smooth, and thickened. Remove from the heat
and season with the salt and nutmeg.

This béchamel sauce recipe makes approximately 4 cups of sauce.