Bechamel Sauce (Variation: With Cheese)

In the early 1900s, chef Auguste Escoffier refined the list of French cuisine’s grand sauces in his classic Le Guide Culinaire and its abridged English translation A Guide to Modern Cookery. He defined the five fundamental “mother sauces” still used today by chefs worldwide: Bechamel; Espagnole; Veloute; Hollandaise; and Tomate.Béchamel sauce (or white sauce), is made with a roux of butter and flour cooked in milk. It is used as the base for so many other sauces, the most popular one is Mornay that includes cheese.

Béchamel is probably the simplest of the sauces as it doesn’t require stock. If you have milk, flour and butter, you are ready to go. Don’t be put off by the ten steps in the recipe. I just needed to break the method down. I have poured so many lumpy Béchamel down the sink. After making it a couple of times, you will even remember the measurements.

This creamy sauce is often used in baked pasta recipes like lasagne and cauliflower cheese. It forms the base for the cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups. Every home cook needs a good Béchamel in their repertoire. So give it a go!

For 1 litre batch you will need:

• 1 litre milk (I use full fat for a creamier sauce, you could use semi-skimmed or skimmed for a lighter version, but the sauce is not going to be as indulgent.)
• 100g/ 8 tbs unsalted butter
• 50g/ 4 tbs plain flour
• 1 onion peeled and halved
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 whole cloves
• For the cheese sauce variation: 125g/1 cup of grated Asiago cheese

What to do:

1. Gently bring the milk to the boil in a small saucepan with the onion, bay leaf and cloves. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 mins. Remove the onion, bay and cloves from the milk with a slotted spoon and discard. (Sometimes I skip this step if I am pushed for time. I just start with step 2 and do away with the milk infusion and just use plain milk warmed in the microwave.)
2. Melt the butter gently over a medium heat, don’t over-heat or let it brown, as this will affect the colour and flavour of the sauce.
3. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and over a medium heat and using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously to make a smooth, glossy paste. This is the roux (pronounced rue).
4. Cook the roux on a low-medium heat for around 3 minutes, continually stirring. It will start to appear glossy as the flour begins to cook.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and begin to add milk. For the first addition, just cover the bottom of the pan and gently stir in, then return the pan to the heat (keep it low-medium).
6. When this milk is incorporated, add in small quantities and continue incorporating continuously until you have used half the milk.
7. When half the milk is added, start adding large amounts of milk, but always stirring briskly. You will be rewarded with a smooth, glossy, creamy sauce. Now turn the heat down to its lowest setting. Let the sauce cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
8. While that is happening, taste and season with ¼ tsp nutmeg, salt and ground black pepper.
9. Now your basic Béchamel is ready.
10. For the cheese sauce, you can now add the 1 cup of grated Asiago cheese. Melt the cheese in gently, do not boil. You simply need the cheese to melt and stir through the sauce.
11. Now the sauce is ready to use in my  roasted butternut squash, spinach & caramelised onion lasagne and many more recipes.