Béchamel Sauce (white sauce) - A Mother Sauce
Very simply, Béchamel is milk thickened with a white roux. As with the other Mother
Sauces this is the base from which other sauces are made.
The following is a sample recipe to give you an idea of what it consists
of:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
Salt and white pepper to taste
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook over
medium heat stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly; about 1
to 2 minutes and do not brown. Slowly stir in milk. Heat to boiling,
stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and add salt and white
pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the amount
of roux flour to thin the sauce.
Some of the variations (or children) of Béchamel follow:
Mornay Sauce - adds cheese
Cauliflower cheese - adds cheese
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