Bechamel sauce

By vegar

Ingredients

• 500ml (2 cups) milk
• 1 brown onion, halved, coarsely chopped
• 4 fresh parsley stalks
• 4 whole black peppercorns
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 whole cloves
• 40g butter
• 2 tbs plain flour
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• Salt & ground white pepper

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 15mins
Adapted from taste.com.au

Preparation

Step 1

Bechamel sauce is a versatile white sauce which can be used plain or combined with other spices and flavours.

Makes

Combine the milk, onion, parsley stalks, peppercorns, bay leaves and cloves in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes to infuse. (Infusing allows the flavours to develop.)

Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a large jug. Discard solids.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until mixture bubbles and begins to come away from side of pan. (When making a sauce that contains flour, it's important to cook the flour. If you don't the sauce will taste floury and may have a grainy texture.) Remove from heat.

Pour in half the milk gradually (otherwise the sauce will become lumpy), whisking constantly with a balloon whisk until mixture is smooth. Gradually add the remaining milk, whisking until smooth and combined. (If sauce becomes lumpy, strain through a fine sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to remove any lumps.)

Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat. Taste and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Variations: Mornay sauce: Add 1/4 tsp mustard powder with the flour in step 3. Stir in 55g (1 cup) finely grated cheddar and 20g (1/4 cup) finely grated parmesan in step 5. Mustard and taragon sauce: Add 1 tbs wholegrain mustard and 2 tbs finely chopped fresh tarragon in step 5. Parsley sauce: Add 1/2 cup loosely packed finely chopped fresh curly parsley in step 5. Soubise (onion) sauce: Melt 20g butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add 1 brown onion, finely chopped, and 60 ml (1/4 cup) water. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 mins or until onion softens. Add 80 ml (1/3 cup) thin cream. Place onion mixture in the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Add to the bechamel sauce in step 5.

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Great recipe, easy to make and full of flavour, I popped in a couple of stems of fresh thyme, a definite winner.

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Being a carer of young children and cooking with them each week I found that this recipe was very easy for the children to make. Thanks it was great.

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So easy & delicious. This is how I will make this sauce from now on. Thickened up perfectly & no lumps.

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The sauce was lovely, just needed to add corn flour
to thicken it up.

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