ExperiencePlus! Blog


French Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp butter or margarine
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup grated cheese or more
  • salt and pepper to taste

la technique

Melt the butter or margarine in sauce pan. Add flour and stir with wisk, or wooden spoon until well mixed. (in a thick “paste.”) Add cold milk, little by little, while wisking and stirring – do not add more milk until what you have is well mixed into the butter/flour paste, and is smooth!

For beginners I advise removing the pan from the heat while mixing the milk, or keep the heat very low, to avoid the mixture cooking too fast and hardening before you have time to react!

When all the milk is added and you have a smooth sauce, put back on low heat and cook a little longer, stirring constantly. (The stirring is the essential part to avoid lumps in the sauce.)

Pour this sauce over (well drained) sautéed zucchini slices, (or sautéed sliced eggplant.) Add more grated cheese on top and bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the final dish. This recipe will make about 2 1/2 cups of sauce. Once you’ll get the hang of it, you can vary the proportion to make more sauce, or make it thicker, (a little more flour) or less thick (add more milk…always little by little!)

Bon Appétit