Bechamel Sauce
A basic white sauce that is so versatile with additons of cheese, herbs, chili peppers, cream vs milk vs stock etc.

This basic French white sauce is made by stirring milk into a mixture of butter and flour, called roux. The thickness of the sauce depends on the proportion of flour and butter to milk. The amount of flour determines the thickness of the sauce.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups milk
1 small slice of onion studded with 2 Or 3 cloves

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of Nutmeg
pinch of Salt
1/8 teaspoon White Pepper
1 small bay leaf
dash dried leaf thyme, crumbled
DIRECTIONS

Note: To reduces thickness of sauce, use less flour.

  1. Heat the milk and clove-studded onion over medium heat
  2. In a separete sauce pan, make the roux by melting the butter over medium heat.
  3. Stir the flour into the melted butter and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but do NOT let it brown (about 2 minutes).
  4. Remove the ONION from the milk
  5. Gradually add the hot milk to the roux.
  6. Add the salt, white peper, nutmeg, bay leaf, and thyme to the mixture
  7. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to boil and thickens.
  8. Simmer, stirring frequently, over very low heat for 5 minutes.
  9. When done, discard the bay leaf.
Makes about 1 cup of medium thick sauce.
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