White sauce – Besciamella
15 min
$2-4 total*
4 cups of sauce
Ingredients
- 100 g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 100 g (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 liter (4 cups) whole milk, heated
- A pinch of grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preparation
Heat the milk. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter (and/or oil, see notes below!) over low heat.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the flour to the melted butter and whisk with a wire whisk or a wooden spoon. This process will create what is called the “roux.” Cook it at low heat for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and with a nutty color (not brown!).
Add the hot milk and whisk until the roux dissolves in the milk. Keep stirring the sauce while cooking at medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Season with a pinch of nutmeg and salt to taste.
Use immediately or transfer in a bowl and cover with a plastic wrap to avoid a skin from forming on the surface.
Tips & notes
- The sauce thickens as it cools down. You can thin it by whisking in more milk.
- Once cool, the besciamella can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for a maximum of 2/3 days.
- This is a lot of butter! But that’s what the original recipe asks for. If you want to make a lighter besciamella, use half the butter (4 tbsp) and 50 g (1/3 cup and 1 tbsp) of olive oil. You can also use just oil (100 g, 3/4 cup). Less butter, more oil! 😉
* Price range estimated from local markets and supermarkets (it can change according to season, location and product quality)
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