Bechamel and six variations
Serves 1
Directions
- 1Melt butter in a pot.
- 2Add an equal quantity of plain flour to the melted butter.
- 3Mix butter and flour together to create a roux.
- 4Cook the roux for 5 to 10 minutes until it has a sandy consistency.
- 5Remove the roux from the stove.
- 6Place milk into a pan and heat it up, ensuring it doesn't boil.
- 7Place the roux back onto the stove on a low heat.
- 8Add hot milk to the roux in small amounts, mixing it in until fully incorporated before adding more.
- 9Once the milk is almost fully incorporated, switch to a whisk to ensure a smooth consistency.
- 10Season the Bechamel sauce with salt.
- 11To make Mornay sauce, place Bechamel sauce on a low heat in a small pan.
- 12Add Gruyere cheese and cheddar cheese to the Bechamel.
- 13Beat the cheese into the sauce on an extremely low heat until fully incorporated.
- 14Serve Mornay sauce piped onto bread, topped with ham and more cheese.
- 15Grill the ham and cheese sandwich to create a Croque Monsieur.
- 16To make Soubise sauce, sweat down some onions in a pan.
- 17Once onions are soft, transfer them to a blender.
- 18Add Bechamel sauce to the blender with the onions and blend until smooth and silky.
- 19Plate the Soubise sauce with a lamb skewer and a drizzle of hot honey.
- 20To make Mustard sauce, add mustard into the Bechamel.
- 21Add some pepper to the sauce.
- 22Finally, add tarragon to the sauce and mix until combined.
- 23Plate the Mustard sauce with chicken and a drizzle of rapeseed oil.
- 24To make Aurora sauce, take tomato passata and add it to the Bechamel (about 20%).
- 25Mix the Aurora sauce with pasta.
- 26Drizzle with oil and garnish with basil leaves.
- 27To make Horseradish sauce, add fresh grated horseradish to the Bechamel.
- 28Add creamed horseradish to the sauce.
- 29Add black pepper and a touch of vinegar to the sauce.
- 30Plate the Horseradish sauce with a steak, drizzled with a little oil and finished with Maldon salt.
- 31To make Parsley sauce, add lemon juice to the Bechamel.
- 32Next, add parsley to the sauce.
- 33Mix until combined.
- 34Plate the Parsley sauce with a fillet of fish.
Ingredients
- butter
- plain flour
- milk
- salt
- Gruyere cheese
- cheddar cheese
- onions
- hot honey
- mustard
- pepper
- tarragon
- rapeseed oil
- tomato passata
- basil leaves
- fresh grated horseradish
- creamed horseradish
- black pepper
- vinegar
- Maldon salt
- lemon juice
- parsley
Equipment
potspatulawhiskladlepangraterblenderpiping bag
Tips
- When making a roux, cook it until it has a sandy consistency (5-10 minutes) to prevent a floury taste.
- Adding hot milk to the roux gradually helps achieve a smoother consistency in the Bechamel sauce and prevents lumps.
- Ensure you do not boil the milk when heating it for the Bechamel, as this will change the flavor.
- For Mornay sauce, if it gets too hot, turn off the heat to prevent the cheese from seizing. Play around with different cheeses for variations.
- For Soubise sauce, it doesn't matter how you cut the onions as they will be blended.
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