Good afternoon friends! Sauces are now considered an amazing invention designed to make the lives of gourmets more diverse. Performing several functions at once - enhancing the taste of a dish, making it more tender or becoming the basis for cooking, sauces have long been firmly established in our menu, decorating it. I bring to your attention Bechamel sauce, which you can make yourself at home according to the classic recipe. If you don’t want a traditional option, I’ll please you with a more modern one.
A light, beautifully creamy bechamel sauce with Parmesan cheese for a wonderfully smooth flavor. Probably the most versatile of all sauces, you'll make this one over and over again! Béchamel is a sauce that every cook should know how to make. The sauce was named after him because he was credited with perfecting it from the older cream sauce. This guy Beshameel has all the luck!
This version includes Parmesan cheese for added depth and flavor. You can omit it if you wish, no other settings are required. You can also add another cheese of your choice. Just a little sauce. Chefs-in-training are taught to make bechamel in three thicknesses. Thin bechamel is often used as a base for creamy soups, while thick bechamel is what is used in soufflés. Medium thick béchamel, which is what this recipe is, is the most versatile and can be used as its own sauce or as a base for a variety of other sauces.
Did you know, friends, that the main purpose of all sauces invented in ancient times was to disguise stale, “smelly” products. Surprised? Judge for yourself, there were no refrigerators then, and dishes, especially in the summer, could not be stored for a long time. So the cooks tried their best to cover up flaws and save the cooked meat, fish or poultry. Bechamel sauce, the recipes for which I will offer you, is no exception.
The thickness of the bechamel is determined by how much flour is used. You can use it in different ways. It is also widely used in lasagna and makes a wonderful sauce for any number of cooked vegetables. However you use it, you will be amazed at how these simple ingredients transform into a luxuriously creamy and delicious sauce.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour until no residue remains. Let the mixture bubble, whisking constantly, for two minutes until light golden brown. For darker, brown sauces, you will let the mixture cook longer to brown.
Bechamel sauce, along with several others, such as mayonnaise, is considered the oldest base sauce, on the basis of which many others have been invented by culinary experts. And, best of all, its composition is quite simple. Milk, wheat flour and butter are its original composition. True, at first they used ordinary bread instead of flour.
Bechamel sauce - history
Italians and French have been arguing with each other over the copyright of the sauce for several centuries. If you believe the Italians, then he was born among them, and then he is more than 500 years old. And perhaps they are not lying: white balsamella sauce, whose composition is very similar to bechamel, has long been known in Italy.
Cannelloni with bechamel sauce
The ripple process is key to achieving flavor in sauces and gravies. Bring it to a boil slowly, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened, whisking frequently to prevent lumps or burning. Add salt, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese to combine. For best results, use freshly ground nutmeg. Use the fine mesh side of a cheese grater - the taste and aroma of fresh nutmeg is wonderful! Cook for another minute, then remove from heat.
Italians claim that the classic recipe for making Béchamel sauce was brought to France by the bride of the French king Henry of Valois, Florentine Maria Medici. According to legend, it follows that an entire army of servants, including cooks, arrived in the country with her. During the celebrations in honor of the couple's marriage, the French first tried and then appropriated the recipe for the sauce. And they even came up with their own name.
It's that easy and your béchamel sauce is ready! This is the third post in my series of “Machi Sauces,” sometimes also called leading or main sauces. If you missed the first two recipes in the series, you can read more about that too. Béchamel, the simplest of all leading sauces, is most often used to make cheese sauces. Velvety smooth, rich and full of flavor without any of the seasonings being too strong to overpower the other, this sauce is a great base from which your imagination can create a wide range of flavors.
According to the French, bechamel sauce was invented by the Marquis de Bechamel from the retinue of King Louis XIV. The chamberlain of the royal court was not only a dexterous courtier, but also a talented cook. It’s as if one day he decided that the cod he cooked was a little dry and set off its taste with a sauce, slightly changing the traditional French “veloute” sauce. To be honest, it’s hard to believe that the Marquis himself knew how to cook, but there is a mention of this in one of the Duke d’Escard’s letters.
Roux is a traditional method of thickening soups, sauces and gravies that uses equal parts by weight, mixed flour and butter to slowly thicken the sauce you've never made before making sure you're reading. Bechamel is one of the simplest Sauces Mother. perhaps the most difficult. Although it is possible the sauce will "split" as it thaws, leaving behind small grainy bits that should be re-emulsified before use. this can be done using a faucet or other mixing device.
Start by heating the milk in a heavy-bottomed pot. Don't just use a cheap pot, especially one with a thin base, as the milk will burn easily, ruining your sauce. Roughly chop the onion into large cubes and, along with the bay leaf, simmer in milk for ten to fifteen minutes to infuse the flavours.
The most likely author of the sauce is a contemporary of the Marquis, the chef of the King of the Sun de la Verena. Whether this is true or not, no one will know. But for a long time the sauce was prepared in noble families, then ordinary French people did not know how to make it.
The classic recipe for Béchamel sauce is described in detail in the French cuisine recipe book Le Cuisinier François.
Classic ingredients and cooking technology
Strain the onions and bay leaves from the milk and pour some of the hot milk into the stream. Be sure to whisk the mixture as you pour to avoid lumps. Pour the liquid pen and milk mixture into the rest of the milk. Stir the sauce lightly to properly incorporate the road properly. By first adding a little liquid to the roux and then adding this mixture to the rest of the milk, you avoid the risk of any curdling, resulting in a 100% smooth sauce. On medium-low heat, continue cooking the bechamel for 15 to 20 minutes to thoroughly cook the flour.
The sauce came to Russia thanks to French chefs who came to our country after the French Revolution. It was they who introduced the fashion for exquisite sauce.
But as usual, time and the wild imagination of culinary specialists have made their own adjustments; there are many variations of bechamel sauce. Add nutmeg or red pepper to it, and a new recipe is ready. Add black pepper, bay leaf, horseradish root, tomato paste, cheese and even fried onions. Each component will enhance the taste and the sauce will sparkle with new colors.
If you don't cook the flour, you'll be left with a grainy mouthfeel rather than a silky smooth texture. Try tasting the sauce immediately after adding the roux, and then again once the flour is cooked. You will notice a big difference. Be sure to stir the bechamel as the sauce simmers to prevent it from burning at the bottom of the pot. If you are refrigerating the sauce for future use, place a layer of plastic wrap directly over the top of the sauce. This will prevent "skin" from forming, which could ruin the smooth texture once it is reheated.
Based on its purpose, bechamel is made thick or liquid, achieving the desired consistency by adding more or less wheat flour. Liquid bechamel makes an excellent gravy for the second course. Thick seasoning for soups, lasagna, vegetables, julienne, spaghetti. Fish and meat are baked with it.
Bechamel sauce - homemade recipe
Before I tell you about the recipes for making Bechamel sauce, I will first share some nuances, perhaps they will be useful to you
This is a good all-purpose bechamel sauce or white sauce recipe. The combination of a rich, creamy, subtle musky butter sauce with smooth, soft, slightly sweet pumpkin paste is an inspired match if ever there was one. To make the béchamel sauce, pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the hot milk to the drifts, whisking constantly and taking care to avoid lumps and burning. Once all the milk has been added, prepare the sauce, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula for 10 to 13 minutes or until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Quick Look Makes about 3 cups.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Advice from experienced chefs
- If there is a need to preserve Bechamel sauce prepared at home for several days, then pour it with a thin layer of pre-melted butter. The sauce will not dry out and a crust will not form on it.
- Is the sauce too thin? Don't add flour to it. It’s better to keep it on the stove longer, this will be enough, the sauce will thicken.
- During cooking, it is much more convenient to pour milk directly from the bag without pouring it into a glass.
Bechamel sauce - a classic recipe at home
This is the basic base, which is actually called bechamel sauce. It is from this that, by adding other ingredients, you can have completely different versions of a wonderful sauce at home. Suitable for making julienne and lasagne.
Please don't use it without ours. Please contact the publisher listed above for permission before publishing it and rewriting it in your own words. And don't forget where you found it. To do this, you need to substitute butter and full cream milk: olive oil can be used instead of butter, and full cream cow's milk can be replaced with soy milk or a good vegetable stock.
So, the recipe for making Bechamel sauce
If you decide to use soy milk, pay special attention to what you buy: supermarkets sell different types of plant-based milk, and soy milk is often sold as a sweet drink. If you look closely, you will also find unsweetened soy milk, which is what you need if you don't want to make a sweet sauce.
We will need:
- Butter – 100 gr.
- Milk - half a liter.
- Flour – 2 tablespoons.
- Salt.
How to make classic béchamel sauce using this recipe:
- Melt the butter in a frying pan. Then pour flour into it and fry it a little so that it slightly changes color to light golden.
- Remove the pan from the heat, quickly pour in the milk and stir quickly. Try to break up all the lumps; if you do not remove the dishes from the heat, it will be more difficult to fight them and stirring will not be very convenient. Many argue whether to heat the milk before adding it to the sauce. Decide for yourself how to do it; there is no consensus in this case.
- Return the pan to the heat, add salt to the sauce and, when it boils, cook for a minute. The finished sauce should thicken.
Bechamel sauce - a modern recipe
We will need:
Using stock for Vegan Bechamel sauce
If, on the other hand, you decide to use vegetable stock, do not use low-quality cubes of valuable materials that will make your sauce substandard and dull: it is preferable to prepare your vegetable stock from scratch. You can even make vegetable utensils from kitchen scraps.
How to make vegan Bechamel sauce: recipe
Here are some cooking tips you need to know to make a good dairy-free, butter-free vegetarian sauce. Amounts: For every liter of unsweetened soy milk, use three kitchen spoons of olive oil, 100g of flour, salt and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Milk – 1.5 cups.
- Meat broth - 1.5 cups.
- Onions - quarter.
- Butter – 4 tbsp. spoons.
- Flour - a third of a glass.
- Salt, bay leaf, pepper - to your taste.
How to make bechamel sauce at home using this recipe:
Pour milk and broth into the pan, add finely chopped onion, bay leaf and put on fire. When it boils, remove and leave for 15 minutes.
Keep a sieve handy as it is useful for sifting the flour evenly into the butter. Heat the stock or milk in a saucepan separately, without letting it come to a boil. Heat the oil for a few minutes in another pan, lower the heat and sift the flour into the pan. Mix until it forms a sort of smooth "ball".
Remove the pan from the heat and add the soy milk or stock, a little at a time, stirring constantly until the “ball” softens. Repeat the above operation until all the milk is used up and the “ball” turns into liquid. Season with salt and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Melt the butter in a deep frying pan and add flour. Stirring, fry until golden brown.
- Then pour the strained mixture of milk and broth into the pan. Let it boil (without stopping stirring) and add pepper and salt.
- Cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes and then strain again.
How to cook bechamel sauce in the microwave
Now that you've made your dairy-free, butter-free vegan béchamel, you need to use it to make your favorite dishes. Place the milk, onion, pepper and bay leaf in a large saucepan and heat to boiling point. Remove pan from heat, cover and set aside for 20 minutes to infuse flavors. Using the same pan, melt the butter and then add the flour in just one go. Remove from heat and pour in a quarter of the milk and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Gradually add the rest of the milk and stir with a metal whisk. Place the pan back on the heat and bring the liquid to a boil, whisking constantly. As the sauce begins to simmer and thicken, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper and add nutmeg all the way through.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve and discard the onion, bay leaf and pepper.
- Stir continuously and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Feel free to experiment, friends. Based on the sauce, you can prepare many equally tasty additions to dishes. Add cheese, cream, yolks, various greens. Mustard seeds work well.
If you first soak cloves or onions in milk, the taste of the sauce will change and take on a new note.
The famous French chef Auguste Escoffier, who created the Culinary Guide, a real bible of French cooking, at the end of the 19th century, added veal to the sauce. And it was incredibly delicious. The cook of kings and the king of cooks, as Escoffier was called, knew a lot about food and its preparation.
Stir over low heat until smooth. To make parsley sauce, add 2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley to prepared base sauce and stir to combine. You can use other fresh herbs such as chives or tarragon, or try a combination of your favorites.
Made with only five natural ingredients and takes 10 minutes. Ideal for football snacks. Blend until it forms a smooth, blond paste and begins to bubble around the edges. Once the milk is included, raise the temperature to high and bring to a boil. Once the milk reaches a boil, quickly lower the heat and reduce to a simmer. Let the sauce thicken slightly. Add cayenne pepper and salt and whisk to combine. Add the cheese and stir gently, allowing the cheese to melt. When the cheese is completely melted and the mixture is smooth in consistency, the nacho cheese sauce is ready to serve. Enjoy immediately as the sauce will harden as it sits.
- Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the flour.
- Add milk to the pan and continue whisking.
Bechamel sauce - an ancient recipe
From Auguste Escoffier, which you can prepare at home.
We will need:
- Flour, sifted – 70 gr.
- Butter – 60 gr.
- Milk – 1 liter.
- Veal, lean, boiled – 60 gr.
- Onions - quarter.
- Pepper, thyme, salt, nutmeg - a pinch each.
How to make Bechamel sauce:
- Add flour to the heated butter and fry briefly, stirring continuously. When the flour turns golden brown, mix the gravy with the warmed milk. (When you heat the milk, add onion and all the seasonings). Stirring, bring the sauce to a boil.
- Add the veal, cutting it into cubes as small as possible, and add salt. Cook for half an hour. Then strain the finished sauce.
I hope that you are familiar with Bechamel sauce and often prepare it at home. Well, if not, then try to make it according to my recipes and be sure to write about the result, my dears. With love... Galina Nekrasova.
Sauces are used to add a richer flavor to a particular dish. Sometimes preparing the sauce is even more difficult than the dish itself, because the slightest deviation from the recipe will spoil the taste of the entire dish. How to cook a classic (and more) béchamel sauce? Homemade recipe adapted to the original source as much as possible.
This sauce is usually prepared for lasagna, and few people in Russia know that it is one of the five main sauces that French cuisine is proud of. The classic recipe became famous thanks to Auguste Ecoffier, but almost every cook adapts it for himself. In the photo you will see how perfectly bechamel goes with different dishes.
Classic bechamel sauce recipe, with herbs
Ingredients:
- butter – 100 gr.,
- wheat flour – 100 gr.,
- milk – 300 ml,
- onion – 60 gr.,
- onion - leek - 10 gr.,
- cockerel - 5-7 branches,
- cloves – 5 pcs.,
- salt.
1. Melt butter in a saucepan.
2. Pour the flour into the melted butter and stir (or better yet, beat). This is a classic thickener called Roux. The mass may be yellow or brownish in color and have a pleasant nutty taste.
3. Gradually pour room temperature milk into the mixture, stirring constantly so that there are no lumps.
The bechamel sauce is ready, it's time for additional seasonings.
4. Place peeled and washed onions and cloves into the milk mixture, reduce heat and cook, constantly stirring the thickening mixture.
5. As the sauce cooks, it becomes thicker and becomes more difficult to stir. To avoid burning and spoilage of the product, you should continue cooking in a water bath. To do this, pour boiling water into a deep frying pan, place a saucepan with sauce in it and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
6. To enhance the aroma, add bouquet garni to the mixture. Why tie a piece of leek and parsley sprigs with a thick thread. Place the bouquet into the mixture and continue cooking, stirring constantly with a whisk.
7. After 15 minutes, remove the sauce from the heat, strain, remove the onion, bouquet garni, and cloves. Pour the prepared aromatic sauce into a gravy boat and cool.
