White Sauce (Bechamel Sauce), is a base sauce for the most international cuisine. It has its root deeply set in French and Italian cuisine both. A basic recipe is a roux and milk whisked together to achieve a desired consistency.
History states that Bechamel sauce was originally known as Balsamella (Italian name). This sauce migrated from Italy to France way before 1600s. Later the name was changed to Bechamel after the name Marquis De Bechamel, chief steward to Louis XIV. This name Bechamel first appeared in the culinary book by Francois Pierre La Varenne in 1651 and gained its popularity among the culinary experts.
The pronunciation is Be-Kha-Mel.
The recipe world over is same. Melt butter in a heavy pan over medium heat. Pour melted butter in a bowl. Add flour to the melted butter in bowl and whisk gently, till a paste is formed. Add salt, pepper and warm milk to this roux and keep on whisking till you achieve the desired consistency. There are limitless variations of this sauce as Bechamel is a base sauce. By adding a little nutmeg powder, this could be a great add on to pasta.
Some of the concerns home cooks have with this basic sauce are solved below:
White sauce is quite brownish or yellowish but not white as imagined
Roux is mostly made by melting butter and adding flour to melted butter. So this process has 2 major factors to be very careful about; first, melt butter on bare minimum heat and second, add flour slowly. You can always melt butter by putting the pan on the burner and then taking it off if the temperature goes higher. Make sure that butter does not change its color to any darker shade. Also when adding flour to melted butter and whisking, make sure higher temperature does not burn the flour. Any change in coloration in roux will result the brownish or yellowish sauce.
I cannot achieve the right consistency
There is no thumb rule for consistency of the white sauce or for that matter most of the base sauces. The right consistency is always defined by the utilization of sauce or at times by the cook. What controls the consistency? its the ratio of roux to the milk. If to put in terms of percentage of the mix of roux and milk, it would be 30% roux and 70% roux mixing with milk. Higher quantity of flour in roux will result of addition of more milk to have more pourable consistency. Normally the roux is 2-3 leveled tablespoon for 1 cup of melted butter.
White sauce is grainy and lumpy
Whisking is far more important in making white sauce than heating the sauce while making it. One can make béchamel sauce without heating roux or milk but cannot have good béchamel without good whisking. Being a base sauce, home cook can always either use the grainy and lumpy sauce or start from scratch. The trick to make the lumpy sauce velvety, press the sauce thru a very fine sieve with a wooden slotted spoon. Once clear, put a heavy pan over low heat and pour the sauce into pot. Just heat it enough to achieve the right texture.
Floury taste
This only happens when the roux is not properly whisked with butter. Also at times, it is good leave the sauce over the low heat at the end of whisking roux and milk together. This also helps the floury taste to diminish from the sauce
Difference between Alfredo and Bechamel
Alfredo is made from Bechamel sauce. By adding some cream, good quality Parmesan and pinch of nutmeg powder you can turn Bechamel sauce into Alfredo. Alfredo is very much dependant on what sort of cheese is used. Always trust the cheese you like for yourself. But make sure the cheese is the one which would melt and mix with the sauce rather than stay in shape like Cottage cheese.
Famous variations of Bechamel sauce are Mornay sauce, Cream sauce, Soubise sauce and Nantua sauce.
Contributed by Jehanzeb A Khan who’s alternative ego is that of The Bearded Chef. He loves cooking and cigars and has a jazzy wit!
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