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Béchamel

The white mother sauce of the French kitchen, the first of the five sauces codified by Escoffier: milk infused with onion, clove and bay, thickened with a pale butter-and-flour roux and simmered smooth. The base for Mornay, soubise and countless gratins.

SidesVegetarianUnder 400 kcalUnder 30 min
30 min5 prep · 25 cookEasy399 kcalper serving
Béchamel

Instructions

  1. Pour 200 ml of whole milk into a small saucepan. Pin 1 bay leaf to 1 halved shallot with 1 whole clove to make an oignon piqué and drop it into the milk.
  2. Set the pan over low heat and bring the milk just to the point of trembling, never to a rolling boil. Take it off the heat, cover, and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, melt 15 g of unsalted butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. When it foams, scatter in 15 g of plain flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes, until the paste smells faintly biscuity but is still pale, a roux blanc, with no colour at all.

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Per serving

399kcal
12gprotein
45gcarbs
20gfat
4gfibre

Computed from the ingredients against a food database, not estimated. The full nutrient table is in the app.

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