Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients

• 56 g unsalted butter

• 56 g all-purpose flour

• 945 ml whole milk

Method

In a small sauce pot, gently warm milk; be careful not to boil or scorch.

In a medium sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat.

Whisk flour into butter to create a roux; be careful not to brown.

While whisking, slowly add warm milk to the roux. Ensure no lumps remain.

Reduce heat to low and allow sauce to cook just until raw flour flavour is cooked out. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.

Once complete, the sauce can be seasoned and flavoured in any number of ways, depending on the final application.

Recipe by Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts

About the Sauce

If you’re the kind to scour town for a good ole’ lasagna, coated in oodles of the creamy good stuff, then you ought to know it’s béchamel you’re a fan of.

Often called white sauce, béchamel is a classic French sauce that's made from a simple roux and milk, seasoned with salt, white pepper and a touch of nutmeg if you choose. It’s smooth in texture and a staple in many Continental dishes. It’s what students of hospitality learn first and once you’ve mastered béchamel, you’re on the road to culinary success. 

Just right for lasagna, mac and cheese, creamy soups, a croque monsieur and a moussaka, too, béchamel is a principal mother sauce to set the tone for your Continental spread with a touch of Mediterranean. Note, when you order a white sauce pasta, it’s not béchamel but Alfredo you’re ordering, the latter being a heavy cream and cheese sauce. Then again, Cheddar cheese is a derivative of béchamel, so you’re not too far off!