I have this notebook that my Nana gave me many years ago for Christmas. The quizzical look on my face as I opened the present must have said it all. “It’s for your recipes” she told me. At that point in my life the majority of my recipes consisted of ‘open jar, add meat, serve’. If I couldn’t remember that without writing it down I was in trouble. Slowly though, over the years, I have added to the book. It is reserved for trusted favourites, those recipes that have proved themselves time and time again. Recipes I make regularly. This simple bechamel sauce (known to some as white sauce) was one of the first written in its blank pages.
I transcribed this so many years ago that the original source has long faded from my memory. To me, bechamel is classic comfort food, so this recipe is pulled out whenever something soothing is required. The more cheese you add to the sauce, the more comfort it provides.
Bechamel is incredibly useful. In my kitchen it finds its way into pasta bakes, cauliflower cheese, lasagnes, stuffed pancakes and anything else that would be improved by a thick layer of cheese sauce. My recipe makes a lovely, full-bodied sauce. If I require a thinner consistency, I just add a touch more milk. I use whatever cheese I happen to have in the fridge at the time. A sharp cheddar gives a dominant cheesy flavour. For a more subdued sauce that will allow other ingredients in the dish to shine I’ll add a mild Swiss or just use less cheese.
Bechamel does need a bit of attention as it is cooking, lest it catch on the bottom of the saucepan leaving you with burnt sauce. Not a desirable outcome. It doesn’t take long to make, but it also freezes brilliantly. Upon defrosting, it looks grainy and unappetising. Resist the urge to throw the whole lot in the bin, and reheat it slowly over a low heat. Stir the saucepan frequently and the sauce will soon become thick and glossy. Frozen bechamel is a great standby for a quick dinner. Stir in a lot more cheese, a dab of mustard, boil some pasta and voila … mac & cheese.
Kitchen Basics: A Simple Bechamel Sauce {White Sauce}
Treat the amounts of cheese for the sauce as a suggestion. Use more or less cheese depending on the end use of your sauce, and how cheesy you like it. I typically just throw in handfuls of cheese until it tastes right. Author: Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas Serves: Makes 2 cups Ingredients
- 60g butter
- 50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
- 500mls (2 cups) milk
- 125g cheddar cheese, grated
- 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat.
- Add the flour and whisk into the butter until smooth.
- Cook the flour & butter for 2 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and changes to a lighter colour. This ensures that the flour is cooked.
- Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly to stop lumps forming.
- Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Cook the sauce over a low - medium heat for about seven minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens.
- Allow the sauce to come to the boil (it should just start to blip quietly) then remove from the heat.
- Stir in the cheeses.
- Use as required.
Notes If lumps start to form as you are adding the milk, remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk until the mixture smooths out. Put the saucepan back on the heat and continue to add the remainder of the milk.
This sauce will keep in the fridge for a few days and freezes well. Just reheat before using.
Bechamel can be readily made in the Thermomix. Use this recipe but follow the method given in your Everyday Cook Book. 3.2.2499
