Considered one of the “mother sauces” of French cuisine, you can’t not feel fancy when you master this staple.
Note About This Recipe: This recipe is for a basic bechamel sauce. Once you’ve mastered this, you can experiment with fun flavor combinations by infusing your favorite herbs, spices, veggies, and cheeses into the milk base. In fact, this base sauce is the foundation for other staple sauces, like alfredo, mornay, and more complex recipes like chowders and even souffles — super fancy!
Another Side Note: In the photo above there are mushrooms. All I did to add those was sauté them in a separate pan, discarded the residual juices, and stirred them into the completed sauce.
Bechamel Sauce
Notes
*Here is where you can infuse flavor into the milk if you wish (I used an onion, bay leaf, and cloves). Simply add seasoning to the milk in the pot, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Before using, discard the seasonings (I recommend running the milk through a sieve to ensure the sauce is smooth).
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small pot, place 1 cup of milk over low heat*
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of butter. Wait until completely melted.
- One tablespoon at a time, gently sprinkle the flour into the melted butter. Whisk constantly to avoid lumps.
- Lower the heat of the saucepan and slowly whisk in the warm milk from the pot. Again, whisk constantly to prevent clumping.
- Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thick (about 1 to 2 minutes).
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, and any other additional spices.
