12-05-2020, 02:36 AM
1
Bechamel sauce
Béchamel sauce is one of the 5 great French classic "mother sauces" and can be used as is, or used as the base for a classic cheese sauce.Today we will take a look at making a béchamel and a fantastic cheese sauce.
5 TBLSP butter
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced super finely.
1/3 cup flour
5 cups whole milk
Pinch of nutmeg
One whole clove
2 TBLSP Parmesan cheese, grated
Melt butter over low heat and add the chopped onion. Stir.
Watch and stir as needed for 2 minutes.
Add garlic, stir and cook another 1 minute.
Dump in all of the flour. Using a wire whip, stir and watch carefully until the flour has turned a light golden color and smells faintly of nuts.
Add 1/2 of milk. Cook and stir until thickened.
add rest of milk and stir, stir, stir. be sure to get into the bottom corners of your pan.
Add a pinch of nutmeg.
add the whole clove
Add the parmesan cheese
Turn heat down to lowest and heat for 30 minutes or until the "floury" taste has gone. stirring often. watch carefully that it does not burn. OR you can you a double boiler
Taste and adjust for salt.
Strain to remove any solids.
If not using immediately, put plastic wrap right down on top of the sauce. This keeps a nasty "skin" from forming. Can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The Bechamel can be used, as is, in a variety of casseroles.
to make a delicious cheese sauce, add 1 cup of grated Gruyere cheese and stir it until cheese has melted completely. Often called, sauce Mornay.
Many recipes merely call for any Swiss cheese, IMO Gruyere is the finest for this sauce.
Your cheese sauce is now ready to be poured over a variety of dishes, such as chicken or vegetables or Eggs Benedict. Your imagination is the only limit. Personally, I love the contrast between a crunchy, crusted fried chicken breast and the silky smoothness of the cheese sauce.
NOTE: you can go in another direction, omitting the Gruyere and substituting cheddar cheese, and make a baked macaroni and cheese.
Get ready to have a fantastic treat that your guests will love.
12-05-2020, 09:48 AM
2
Re: Bechamel sauce
Bechamel was one the first sauces we learned in Chef Training College and is useful as a base for many things. I don't use a recipe these days - just do it on auto pilot! Don't remember ever putting nutmeg in though - will give that try. Thank you, Bakerman.12-05-2020, 11:32 AM
3
Re: Bechamel sauce
Originally Posted by Silver Tabby
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Bechamel was one the first sauces we learned in Chef Training College and is useful as a base for many things. I don't use a recipe these days - just do it on auto pilot! Don't remember ever putting nutmeg in though - will give that try. Thank you, Bakerman.
Tabby knows what she is doing, but others may not realize that there is seldom THE recipe for anything. There are only recipes that the customers like. Chef's compete with each other to create exciting variations on a theme.
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