Friday, January 29, 2010

Bechamel Sauce p. 57

I was a little intimidated at first by the fancy name, but this is not a complicated sauce. In fact, I don't even need to look back over the recipe to remember how to do it.



Start off by melting two tablespoons butter (you can use olive oil if you want). When its melted, add in two tablespoons flour and whisk quickly. Whisk for a couple of minutes. The book says it should turn tan, but mine never really did. Then slowly pour in milk or cream. I used about a cup and half. Whisk while adding a bit at a time. Let it cook until the sauce is a thick. Season to your liking and serve.

I wish Mark Bittman would have given a few suggestions for use of the sauce because I would love to use it more in the future. I had purchased some creamy pumpkin ravioli from a local shop and served the sauce over it. It was perfect together. Creamy and rich.

4 comments:

  1. This sauce is a base for many casseroles such as maccaroni and cheese, tuna casserole (see Joy), potato au gratin (see Joy), chicken a la king, etc.. Paul.

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  2. I forgot Chicken Pot Pie. Paul.

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  3. Once you are used to making this sauce, you can do so much with it. Just whisk in some cheese , after you take the sauce off the burner...presto cheese sauce.

    People are intimidated by the French names of basic sauces. Most are quite easy to make.

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  4. You can use bechamel for a lot of things! Try stirring in some cheese as a base for macaroni and cheese, or even make a healthier "alfredo" by throwing in a handful of parmesan. It's delicious!

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