Béchamel Sauce

About 15 mins cooking time Prep: 5 mins

 1/4 litre of milk

 20g butter
 2 tablespoons of plain flour
 Salt and pepper, to taste

Makes 1 cup. For lasagne, double the recipe.

Warm the milk on low heat (until little bubbles form at the edges). Whilst the
milk heats, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and
cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a little bit (about 2
minutes) – but don’t let it brown! Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the
sauce thickens. Bring it to the boil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Lower the
heat and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more, then remove from the heat.

Quick and easy version (5 min):

Put the milk on the stove, heat it at a low heat. In a large bowl, melt the butter
in the microwave (1 min). Add the flour and stir well. Bring the milk to the boil,
let it bubble for a few seconds. Pour the milk into the butter/flour mixture, and
whisk it (hand whisk), and season to taste. Put the mixture into the microwave
for one minute. Whisk well once more, and it’s ready.