Bechamel Sauce and its 6 Variations
Serves 1
Directions
- 1Add butter to a large pot and melt it.
- 2Once the butter is melted, add an equal quantity of plain flour to the pot.
- 3Mix the butter and flour together and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until it reaches a sandy consistency; this process is called making a roux.
- 4Remove the roux from the stove.
- 5Place milk into a separate pan and heat it up until hot, ensuring it does not boil to preserve the flavour.
- 6Place the roux back onto the stove on a low heat.
- 7Add the hot milk to the roux in small amounts at a time, mixing it in thoroughly before adding more, to achieve a smooth consistency.
- 8Once most of the milk is incorporated, use a whisk to fully blend the sauce until smooth.
- 9Season the Bechamel sauce with salt.
- 10For Mornay sauce, place a portion of Bechamel sauce on a low heat.
- 11Add Gruyere cheese and Cheddar cheese to the Bechamel sauce.
- 12Beat the cheese into the sauce on an extremely low heat until fully incorporated.
- 13To serve, pipe the Mornay sauce onto bread, followed by ham and cheese.
- 14Grill the sandwich to create a Croque Monsieur.
- 15For Soubise sauce, sweat down some sliced onions in a pan.
- 16Once the onions are soft, transfer them to a blender.
- 17Add a portion of Bechamel sauce to the blender with the onions.
- 18Blend until the sauce has a smooth, silky consistency.
- 19Serve the Soubise sauce plated with a lamb skewer and a drizzle of hot honey.
- 20For Mustard sauce, add mustard into a portion of Bechamel sauce.
- 21Add some pepper and tarragon to the sauce.
- 22Mix until all ingredients are combined.
- 23Plate the Mustard sauce with chicken and a drizzle of rapeseed oil.
- 24For Aurora sauce, add about 20% of tomato passata to a portion of Bechamel sauce.
- 25Mix the tomato passata into the Bechamel sauce.
- 26Combine the Aurora sauce with pasta for a simple rose sauce.
- 27Drizzle with oil and garnish with basil leaves.
- 28For Horseradish sauce, add fresh grated horseradish to a portion of Bechamel sauce.
- 29Add some creamed horseradish to the sauce.
- 30Add black pepper and a touch of vinegar, then mix to combine.
- 31Plate the Horseradish sauce with a steak, drizzled with a little oil and finished with Maldon salt.
- 32For Parsley sauce, start by adding lemon juice to a portion of Bechamel sauce.
- 33Next, add chopped parsley to the sauce.
- 34Mix until combined.
- 35Plate the Parsley sauce with a fillet of fish.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Plain flour
- Milk
- Salt
- Gruyere cheese
- Cheddar cheese
- Bread
- Ham
- Onions
- Lamb skewer
- Hot honey
- Mustard
- Pepper
- Tarragon
- Chicken
- Rapeseed oil
- Tomato passata
- Pasta
- Oil
- Basil leaves
- Fresh grated horseradish
- Creamed horseradish
- Black pepper
- Vinegar
- Steak
- Maldon salt
- Lemon juice
- Parsley
- Fillet of fish
Equipment
Large potSpatulaWhiskSmall potInduction hobBlenderPanPiping bagKnifeWooden boardPlate
Tips
- Cook the roux for 5 to 10 minutes until it has a sandy consistency.
- Add hot milk to the roux in small amounts, mixing it in on a low heat to achieve a smoother consistency and avoid lumps.
- Do not boil the milk for the Bechamel sauce as it will change the flavour.
- For Mornay sauce, you can experiment with different cheeses; traditionally, only Gruyere is used.
- When making Soubise sauce, it doesn't matter how you cut the onions as they will be blended until smooth and silky.
- Traditionally for Bechamel, you'd add an onion studded with clove for flavouring the milk.
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