Bechamel sauce: a classic homemade recipe

Béchamel sauce is a white sauce originally from France, the royal cuisine of Louis XIV, and has rightfully won one of the first steps in European cuisine. Based on it, a hermetically processed mixture of flour, fat and milk, cooks prepare various sauces.

Béchamel sauce can be served on its own with duck breasts, schnitzel, Flemish stew, roast beef, roast pork, fish dishes, lasagna, julienne, macaroni, spaghetti and pasta.

Today we will cook:

1. Classic bechamel sauce

2. Bechamel sauce with cheese

3. Bechamel sauce with fried champignons

4. Video recipe: How to make bechamel sauce

Classic béchamel sauce

Bechamel is translated from French as “white sauce”.
It was invented several centuries ago. Bechamel can be easily prepared at home. The popularity of the sauce is easily explained by its rich taste and versatility. It goes well with meat and fish dishes, as well as cereal and pasta dishes. The classic sauce recipe is simple. Its basis is a mixture of butter and flour, brought to a straw color. Ingredients:

4 tbsp. spoons of butter;
4 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour;
0.5 liters of full-fat milk;
salt to taste.

In a thick-bottomed saucepan placed on the stove, melt the butter, add flour, salt and stir with a whisk and heat through. The mixture should acquire a yellowish tint. Gradually add milk and stir, reducing the sauce over low heat. Cooking time depends on the desired consistency of the finished dish. When the Bechamel reaches the desired thickness, remove the saucepan from the heat and serve. You can determine how correct the consistency is using a spoon. You need to scoop up the sauce and tilt it. A well-cooked bechamel should drain slowly.

Bechamel can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Before use, warm in a microwave oven or in a water bath before use. Serve bechamel only warm, otherwise a film will form on it.

Bechamel is the perfect accompaniment to chicken cutlets.

Bechamel sauce - what products are used for preparation

Now let's look at the ingredients for the basic white sauce and its derivatives. For a classic sauce, you only need three main ingredients, salt and ground white pepper. If you like, you can season it with fresh bay leaf, cloves, ground white pepper, and if you don’t mind black specks, then black peppercorns will do.

But for its derivatives you will need a lot of flavored natural seasonings, plants and various roots: thyme, rosemary, parsnip root, thyme, nutmeg, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, etc.

Depending on the assortment, fresh herbs, onions, garlic, tomato paste, various types of cheeses, cream, vegetable or olive oils and a number of other auxiliary products are added to the sauce.

The consistency of the sauce, depending on what dish it is served with, can be thick, medium thick or semi-liquid. If it is too thick, you can add a little more milk until it reaches the desired texture.

Egg bechamel with capers

To prepare lasagna and some other Italian dishes, you need white sauce, boiled with eggs and capers.

Ingredients:

50 g butter;
2 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour;
10 capers;
2 egg yolks;
300 ml meat or vegetable broth;
salt and pepper to taste.

Bechamel with capers
Place butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan and put on fire. When it melts, add flour and fry it in butter until light golden brown. Pour the broth into the butter-egg mixture. The classic version involves the use of chicken broth. If you want to make the sauce less calorie, you can use vegetable broth. Chop the capers very finely with a sharp knife. [box#1]

Mix the ingredients, add ground pepper and salt. Boil the sauce until thickened over low heat. Before finishing cooking, pour the yolks of chicken eggs into the saucepan and immediately stir with a whisk. Heat the mixture with constant stirring for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the chopped capers, distributing them throughout the sauce. Apply bechamel to lasagne sheets while hot or warm.

Bechamel sauce with cheese

We need:

300 ml milk
150 g cheese
20 g butter
15 g wheat flour
1 piece onion, small
1 piece bay leaf
0.5 tsp nutmeg
salt, pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Peel the onion and place it in a saucepan, add a bay leaf, add milk and put it on the fire. When the milk boils, you need to remove it from the heat and let it brew for 20 minutes.

2. Grate the cheese.

3. After time has passed, filter the milk.

4. Heat the frying pan and melt the butter, add flour, and stir vigorously. When the flour changes color, gradually add milk, stirring all the time. After the mixture thickens, add salt, pepper, nutmeg and grated cheese, mix and remove from heat.

Thick bechamel with the addition of sour cream

Thick bechamel with the addition of cream, sour cream and cheese will perfectly highlight the taste of meat dishes.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. spoons of butter;
3 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour;
1 cup full-fat sour cream;
1 glass of cream;
3 eggs;
40 grams of cheese;
salt and pepper to taste.

Grate the cheese on a fine grater. Pour sour cream into a saucepan, add egg yolks and stir. Place the butter in a small frying pan, melt and add flour, fry it in the melted butter for 2 minutes.

Add butter with flour, grated cheese to the saucepan, then mix the ingredients well with a spoon. Pour cream into the mixture, add salt and pepper. Stir the sauce and heat, but do not bring to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and use the bechamel as intended.

Mustard version of the seasoning

Bechamel sauce with nutmeg mustard is served with grilled meat and fried fish. The ingredients you will need:

half a liter of milk, 1 bay leaf, 30 g butter, onion;
mustard in the amount of several tbsp., 2 tbsp. wheat flour, 2 buds of cloves;
nutmeg shavings, freshly ground pepper and salt according to preference.

Step by step instructions:

Place nutmeg in a heated dish. Add ¼ of an onion with a pair of cloves stuck in, milk and a bay leaf. Everything should boil. After which the broth is filtered through a cloth.
During this time, butter is heated separately, into which flour is poured. This should fry on medium until golden brown.
The butter and flour are slowly added with milk according to the classic procedure. The mixture is cooked, stirring, until thickened. The final touch is to add pepper, salt and mix the bechamel sauce with mustard.

Mushroom bechamel

Mushroom bechamel
When mushrooms are added, the sauce acquires a very rich taste.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour;
3 tbsp. spoons of butter;
200 grams of champignons;
2.5 glasses of full-fat milk;
1 cup vegetable broth;
salt, spices to taste.

Peel the mushrooms and chop them finely. Place a thick-bottomed saucepan on the fire, put the butter in it and melt. Add flour and fry over low heat for 2 minutes. [box#2]

Pour 1.5 cups of milk into the saucepan and mix the mixture well without removing it from the heat. There should be no lumps left in it. Stir the egg yolks into the remaining milk and pour into the main mixture. Add vegetable broth, salt and spices to taste. Cook with constant stirring until boiling.

After the mixture boils, pour the chopped mushrooms into it and cook the sauce for another 15 minutes. Bechamel prepared according to this recipe will ideally complement the taste of Italian pasta.

How to cook bechamel: recipes

There are a huge variety of bechamel sauce recipes, which may differ from the classic variation not only in ingredients, but also in the method of preparation. However, the classic recipe is the basis of all others and has a truly unique taste.

Classic bechamel

To prepare the classic béchamel sauce you will need the following ingredients:

200 gr. thickener Roux
1 l. cow's milk with any percentage of fat content.
1 large onion.
A small amount of cloves, bay leaf and nutmeg.
Salt and other spices - to taste.

If you don’t know how to replace nutmeg in bechamel sauce, do not add it at all, or replace it with coriander or ground black pepper.

Preparation of white French sauce according to the classic recipe consists of the following steps:

Prepare an enamel pan of a suitable size.
Add cloves, bay leaves and other spices to the milk.
Pour the milk into a saucepan and place the whole peeled onion in it.
Bring it to a boil and cook for no more than 10 minutes.
After the specified time, close the pan and leave for 10-15 minutes.
Add 250-270 gr. thickener Roux into the milk, stirring thoroughly.
Place the resulting mixture on the fire and bring to a boil.
After boiling, simmer the mixture over low heat for 25 minutes.
After the specified time, add a little nutmeg to the sauce. If desired, salt the bechamel and add your favorite spices.

If the consistency of the sauce is too thin, gradually add the remaining amount of thickener and cook until it thickens.

Bechamel with capers and fish broth

Bechamel, prepared with the addition of fish broth, has an exquisite taste and perfectly complements many seafood.

To prepare it you will need:

2 chicken eggs.
50 gr. animal oils.
20 gr. vegetable oils.
20 gr. flour.
350-400 ml. cow's milk.
2 large spoons of capers.
350-400 ml. fish broth.

The preparation of this type of bechamel sauce consists of the following steps:

Heat the pan over low heat.
Place butter in it.
When it becomes liquid, add vegetable oil to the pan and mix thoroughly.
Begin adding flour gradually, stirring constantly.
When the consistency becomes homogeneous, add milk in small quantities.
Add the specified amount of fish broth to the resulting mixture.
Mix the sauce thoroughly and bring it to a boil.
Boil the sauce for another 10 minutes.
While it is cooking, separate the yolks from the whites. Whisk them in a small bowl.
Add 20-30 ml of prepared bechamel into the resulting mixture.
Pour the egg mixture into the container with the rest of the sauce, after mixing thoroughly.
Chop the capers and add them to the sauce.

Serve the bechamel prepared according to this recipe chilled. It will complement any dish with its unique taste and help diversify the daily menu.

Recipe with cheese

Let's look at how bechamel sauce with cheese is prepared.

Required:

1.5 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour;
250 ml. milk;
onion - 1 pc. (small);
30 gr. butter;
125 ml. broth;
3 tbsp. spoons of grated hard cheese;
A little salt, ground black pepper, a mixture of herbs.

Oil is heated in a frying pan and flour is fried in it. It should turn out with a light yellow tint, only then add chopped onions. Next, milk is gradually poured into the mixture and brought to a boil. After cooling, the mass is rubbed through a sieve. Next, half a mug of broth is poured in, and the mixture should boil again. At the end, cheese and spices are added.

Bechamel meat

Meat bechamel
A step-by-step recipe for meat sauce involves adding minced meat.

Ingredients:

70 grams of minced meat;
40 g butter;
1/4 head of onion;
300 ml full-fat milk;
parsley or celery root;
salt, spices to taste.

Pour milk into a saucepan and place on the stove. Add the peeled quarter of the onion without cutting it. Boil the onion in milk for 15 minutes and then remove it.

In a separate thick-walled saucepan, melt the butter, add flour and fry until slightly golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Pour milk into the pan and cook the sauce for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, without bringing to a boil.

Peel the celery or parsley root, chop it very finely or even grate it. In a heated frying pan, fry the chopped vegetables with minced meat in a small amount of butter for about 10 minutes. First season the minced meat with salt and pepper. [box#3]

Place the fried ingredients in the pan with the main mixture and cook the sauce for another 10 minutes. During this time it should acquire the desired thickness.

Bechamel nutmeg

Nutmeg adds spicy notes to the sauce, which will appeal to connoisseurs of original combinations and bright flavors.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup flour;
4 tbsp. spoons of butter;
2 glasses of full-fat milk;
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg;
1/2 teaspoon white pepper;
salt to taste.

Place butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan, put on heat and add flour. Heat the mixture with constant stirring until the flour begins to change color. Add milk in small portions, constantly stirring the sauce so that there are no lumps in it. When the mass becomes homogeneous and thick enough, add salt to taste, nutmeg and white pepper. Stir the mixture well again and use it as an addition to hot main courses. Muscat bechamel goes perfectly with new potatoes, potato pancakes, meat or fish.

New potatoes with béchamel sauce are the perfect option for a hearty dinner.

Sweet bechamel

When sugar and lemon juice are added, the sauce acquires an unusual sweetish taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups cream;
150 g butter;
0.5 teaspoons vanilla sugar;
100 grams of granulated sugar;
5 egg yolks;
100 grams of flour;
0.5 teaspoons lemon juice;
0.5 teaspoon lemon zest.

Place butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan and add vanilla sugar, granulated sugar, and flour. Grind the ingredients with a fork and place the saucepan on the fire. Heat the mixture to a boil, then add the cream. Cook for 5 minutes with constant stirring.

Remove the sauce from the heat and immediately add the egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest, stirring vigorously. [box#4] Use ready-made bechamel as an addition to pancakes, pancakes or any baked goods. If you pour it over fried meat, it will acquire a very original taste.

Bechamel spicy

Spicy bechamel
Spicy herbs and spices will add a certain spiciness to the sauce.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. spoons of butter;
3 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour;
2 glasses of milk;
1 teaspoon curry;
2 g thyme;
2 g rosemary rosemary;
salt and pepper to taste.

Add curry, thyme and rosemary to milk. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and place on the stove. Simmer for about 5 minutes. It is very important to add spices and herbs to cold milk. With gradual heating, their taste and aroma are revealed. Strain the milk.

Place butter in a saucepan and put on fire. Add flour and heat for 2-3 minutes, then pour in the strained aromatic milk and cook the sauce for 5 minutes with constant stirring. Add salt and pepper, stir and serve immediately. This sauce goes well with chicken dishes.

Vegan bechamel

This sauce uses water instead of milk, but adds extra flavor to the sauce with olive oil and nuts. This is convenient for those who do not consume dairy products or are temporarily on a diet or fast. Now let's try cooking.

Ingredients in Vegan Bechamel

nuts (cashews) - 150 grams;
water - 300 milliliters;
flour - 50 grams;
olive oil - 1.5-2 tablespoons;
nutmeg, salt and pepper - at your discretion.

Cooking sequence for Vegan bechamel recipe

You should first prepare milk from cashew nuts; to do this, pour boiling water over the curved, buttery nuts and let them sit for about five minutes. After this time, pour in a new portion of cold water and put everything through a blender.

Pour olive oil into a saucepan, add wheat flour and lightly fry until creamy.

Pour in nut milk in small doses and stir all the time until smooth. Boil over medium heat until thickened and season with spices and seasonings according to the recipe.

At the final stage, strain through a strainer and place a piece of butter on the surface so that it does not form a thick crust.

Garlic bechamel

When garlic is added, the sauce acquires pungency and a specific taste.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour;
4 tbsp. spoons of butter;
3 cloves of garlic;
1/2 onion;
2 glasses of full-fat milk;
1 bay leaf;
salt, spices to taste.

Pour the milk into the saucepan and then put it on the fire. Peel the garlic, cut each clove in half and place in milk. Peel the onion, cut in half and dip only half the head into the milk. Heat the contents of the saucepan without bringing to a boil. A minute before removing from heat, add bay leaf. Cover the saucepan with a lid and remove from the stove. Infuse milk for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl with a thick bottom, fry the flour in butter for 1-2 minutes until slightly golden brown. Strain the milk and add to the flour and butter. Cook the sauce with constant stirring for 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir again and serve hot.