Bechamel is the queen of sauces. 10 rules to prepare the béchamel to perfection
There bechamel it is a sauce of French origin that has been part of our culinary tradition for a very long time now. It is also known as mother sauce because with the béchamel many other sauces are prepared, such as mornay which is a slightly richer version.
There are no lasagna and cannelloni without bechamel, but not even baked pasta and vegetable pies, or gratins of any kind.
Many buy it, perhaps because they don't know that preparing it at home is really very simple.
The ingredients and the steps are few, you just need to follow a few rules.
Ingredients of bechamel
Let's start with the ingredients first that for half a liter of béchamel are 500 ml of milk, 40 grams of butter, 40 grams of flour, salt and nutmeg.
How to prepare the bechamel
1. The fat part, ie the butter, and the flour according to the original recipe must have the same weight.
2. You need to use a pot with high enough sides. Better if non-stick.
3. Melt the butter over medium heat and then, if it is not clarified, wait for the bubbles to reduce, that is, the water has evaporated.
4. The flour should be added all at once and mixed quickly with a hand whisk.
5. Stir until the mixture becomes liquid and without lumps. This is the time when you need to be more careful.
6. Cook for a couple of minutes for the flour to taste and absorb fat.
7. The mixture of butter and flour is called roux and you can also use it to thicken other sauces or cooking stocks.
8. To prepare the bechamel, milk must be added to the roux. It must be cold and must be added in one go and mixed quickly.
9. Cook everything, stirring until it reaches a fairly thick consistency. Then lower the heat to low and cover for five minutes. The bechamel is ready when you veil the spoon.
10. When cooked, add a pinch of salt and nutmeg.
And if you want to prepare a quick bechamel try it with the microwave!
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