It is no coincidence that the famous béchamel sauce is extremely popular. There is a classic recipe, many different variations. Some housewives themselves successfully come up with new recipes, creating their own varieties of bechamel sauce. It is important that it is suitable for almost any product. Meat and fish, vegetables, and rice go well with it. Even fruit can be great served with it! And their flavor bouquet and aroma will be perfectly emphasized.

Benefits of bechamel sauce

What attracts housewives to bechamel sauce? Why is his recipe so impressively popular and of great interest to everyone who hears it for the first time? And it is precisely this sauce that becomes one of the most commonly used when women decide to cook tasty, healthy and fast. Let's look at the main advantages.

1. The recipe is surprisingly simple. To prepare bechamel sauce, it is not at all necessary to memorize huge recipes, a lot of recommendations and subtleties. There are a few basic rules that are very easy to learn. And the list of ingredients is so short that it would be easy for anyone to reproduce the list after hearing it only once.
2. This sauce is very economical. You don't have to spend a lot of money to cook it exactly according to the recipe, and you don't need to replace any ingredients. Since you only need water, milk, flour and butter to create the sauce, no one will have any problems making it.
3. Of great importance is the fact that the recipe leaves the widest scope for creativity. You can experiment for a long time, add various spices, herbs, vegetables and even fruits, creating your own types of bechamel sauce. And you will feel like a real professional chef when you fantasize at the stove and write down more and more new recipes! Each of your sauces will highlight and highlight the taste of a particular dish or product in its own way.
4. It turns out that the sauce not only captivates with its pleasant, balanced taste. He attracts with his valuable qualities. Making dishes more satisfying, it is perfectly absorbed and has virtually no effect on the parameters. It can be safely used by anyone who wants to lose weight faster.
5. Bechamel sauce also has obvious advantages that are associated with its composition. This is what the nutritionist notes. “The whole point is that milk, flour and butter combine best. They are not just better absorbed together. Each component gives the body a lot. These are valuable proteins that are perfectly absorbed and are used to build cells. Useful minerals, calcium, a whole complex of vitamins – everything is already in the sauce, prepared according to a simple recipe!”
6. Versatility is another great advantage of the sauce. The recipe is really simple, there are very few ingredients, but this dressing is perfect for any dish. At the same time, every housewife will be able to instantly diversify the menu if she makes her own adjustments to the list of ingredients or slightly changes the usual recipe.

With this wonderful sauce you can cook meat and fish, vegetables and rice, season porridge with it, decorate fruit salads and desserts. And there is a recipe for every occasion!

Subtleties of making sauce

First of all, you need to remember a few nuances that go into creating this recipe for this dressing. The fact is that such a delicate sauce is very easy to spoil, make it too thick or thin, miss the moment and overcook the flour. Someone doesn’t think about the temperature of the food, pouring boiling milk into flour and believing that everything will cook faster this way, it will be even better. In fact, everything needs to be done according to the algorithm, following the recommendations. Then you will end up with bechamel sauce in any case, even if you add a lot of additional ingredients to it, changing the dressing beyond recognition. But when the cooking technology is violated, the end result is not bechamel at all, although the ingredients are the same.

Remember the basic tips! Then the dressing will delight you with taste, aroma, and will perfectly highlight the benefits of the dishes.

• Temperature. The temperature of the food is of great importance. When you prepare bechamel sauce, you need to stock up on room temperature milk in advance, heat the butter, and then cool it a little. When you fry the flour, gradually pour milk into it; it should not be boiling. At the same time, milk from the refrigerator will not suit you either, because it is extremely difficult to get rid of flour lumps. The best option: take the milk, put it on the table and hold it at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Then it will acquire the most suitable temperature. The butter needs to be melted, but you cannot pour boiling butter into the mixture. You will have to cool it a little, otherwise you will take too long to achieve a homogeneous consistency.
• Lumps. For many housewives, the real problem is the numerous lumps that do not want to disappear from the bechamel sauce. Most often, the dressing is too rarely stirred during the cooking process, boiling milk or butter is poured into the flour, or they try to melt the butter directly in the sauce, and not in advance. Of course, there should be no lumps. Therefore, cook according to the recipe and do not forget that you need to stir the mixture constantly. This will prevent the sauce from sticking to the walls of the pan, forming lumps, and burning the mixture.
• Hue. The classic sauce has a delicate creamy color. And here you will need jeweler's precision. You need to be extremely careful when frying flour. If you overcook it, you will not only spoil the color - the bechamel will become too dark - but also jeopardize the taste, since notes of burnt product may appear in the bouquet. If the flour is fried too little, the sauce generally loses its flavor. It becomes overly bland, tasteless, and the color remains almost white. So you need to fry the flour as follows. Wait until steam comes from the frying pan, the flour becomes golden, and you feel the light aroma of toasted bread, croutons. All! There is no need to fry your golden flour anymore.
• Consistency. The thickness is adjusted using milk and water. The more liquid you add, the thinner your sauce will be. Some people use only cream or milk, while others add water. When adjusting the consistency, it is more convenient to pour in a little plain water. Please note: the mixture will thicken as it cools. But how can we determine the optimal thickness if we don’t know how much thicker the sauce will become as it cools? This is what one housewife came up with. “I make bechamel sauce very often. And I already have my own secret. Of course, it is extremely difficult to guess about the thickness after cooling. Therefore, you need to experiment, but be sure to write down each time in what proportions the ingredients were used. Then you can easily make the sauce at the desired thickness using your own precise recipes!”

Now it's time to remember the classic recipe.

Preparing the sauce: classic version

First, prepare the ingredients you will need to create the sauce. It should be milk and butter. You will also need salt and flour. You can add black pepper to taste, but only a little, otherwise the taste and smell will be too strong. Let's get started!

1. First of all, let the milk heat up. It does not need to be specially heated or boiled. You just need to put it on the table so that it is at room temperature for about 20 minutes. By pouring in such milk, you will be able to quickly achieve homogeneity of the mass and avoid the appearance of lumps.
2. Now heat the butter. Please note: you do not need to try to throw it directly into the mixture of flour and milk, heat it in the same pan with flour, or work with it and flour at the same time. Be sure to prepare the butter in advance. A small piece just needs to be melted and poured into any container.
3. Now it's time to fry the flour. There is no need to grease the pan. You simply take a clean frying pan, heat it up, and then pour in the flour. It must be constantly stirred with a spatula, shaking it and separating it from the bottom. As soon as the flour acquires a golden hue, you can begin to pour in the milk.
4. Pour in the milk carefully, in a thin stream. Hold a container of milk in one hand and a spatula in the other. Be sure to stir your mixture constantly. This is the only way you will be able to prepare the sauce according to the recipe.
5. When you have already poured in the milk, you need to thoroughly mix the flour again so that the mass becomes perfectly homogeneous. The butter can be added along with the milk, but some people prefer to add it later, when the main mixture is already ready. This is not of fundamental importance, so do what is most convenient for you.
6. At the final stage of cooking, you need to salt and pepper your mixture. If you need to make it less thick, just add more milk or water.

All! You've already prepared your bechamel sauce!

Béchamel or white sauce is one of the most famous sauces in French cuisine. Thanks to its incomparable aroma and exquisite taste, it won the hearts of not only the French. It has conquered the whole of Europe: restaurants in leading European countries traditionally use it both as an independent product and as a base for other sauces. Undoubtedly, he is the real pride of the French. Light, delicate, aromatic, combined with almost any dish, it can rightfully be called an aristocratic sauce and be proud of its noble origin. Although Italian gourmets still consider it their brainchild and are ready to challenge France’s right of primacy.

A little history

However, the Italians’ claims are not based on an unfounded assertion. One of the versions of the origin of this exquisite dish indicates that the recipe for the sauce was brought with her to France by the young Catherine de Medici, the future wife of the French king Henry II. At the age of fourteen she left sunny Florence to become a great queen.

The wedding feast, which lasted more than a month, was served by both French and Italian chefs brought with them by the king's young bride. It was there that the Italian sauce was first served, which later in France began to bear the name bechamel. In Italy, long before that, it was called balsamella. And the recipes for these two dishes are surprisingly similar.

The French do not give away the palm, insisting that they have two versions of the origin of this product.

According to one of them, the recipe for the sauce was discovered by Louis de Béchamel, Marquis de Nointel, who at that moment was a manager at the court of the legendary French king Louis XIV. The story goes that the Marquis slightly modified the veloute sauce, which was popular at that time, resulting in a completely different product that was remarkably attractive to fish dishes, for which he intended to season it. The happy marquis named the resulting tasty and aromatic sauce after himself. However, such manipulations with the components of dishes could only be carried out by a person with a keen sense of sensitivity and an exquisite culinary taste. History is silent about the fact that Louis de Bechamel had such abilities. All that remains is the mention of his compatriot Comte D’Escar in which he laments that in his life he was unable to name even the simplest dish after himself, unlike the lucky Bechamel.

Another version says that the secret of making this sauce belongs to the famous chef of the Sun King Louis XIV, Francois Pierre de la Varenne. Many historical studies attribute to him the fact that the thickener roux was used in this sauce, made from flour fried in butter until golden brown. Previously, only softened bread crumb was used for this. Well, by naming the dish in honor of his contemporary Louis Bechamel, de la Varenne apparently thanked the Marquis for something, or simply wanted to curry favor with him.

Undoubtedly, the French are proud that such an incomparable sauce was born in their country. Besides those two stories, another famous French name is inextricably linked with him. This is Philippe du Plessis Mornay, governor of Saumur. Some historical facts attribute to him not only the invention of bechamel, but also other equally famous sauces:

• chasseur;
• port;
• mornay;
• Lyonnaise sauce.

The flourishing of culinary art in the 17th and 18th centuries led to the fact that bechamel acquired numerous variations. Each chef wanted to bring something new to the recipe of this dish, so they added more and more different ingredients. This continued until the famous chef Marie-Antoine Carême, who became one of the first residents of haute cuisine, began to manage the culinary delights in the royal kitchen. Under his leadership, all unnecessary ingredients were removed and bechamel received the composition of products by which it is known to this day.

Composition and types of sauce

Classic béchamel is made with roux and cream. The roux thickener consists of flour fried in butter until golden brown. Nowadays, different types of milk can be used instead of cream. Flour and butter are mixed in equal parts and cream is gradually added. They should be used based on the thickness of the sauce you want to achieve. Bechamel can be medium thick, liquid, or a thick viscous mass.

Béchamel is one of five classic French sauces, on the basis of which various variations are prepared or completely new liquid seasonings are obtained. Various spices, broths, herbs and spices are often added here. Here are several types of sauces made with bechamel:

• mornay - prepared with the addition of grated Parmesan, Gruyère and fish broth, served with seafood and vegetables;
• nantua - prepared with the addition of crab meat, served with seafood dishes;
• soubise - prepared with the addition of chopped onions, goes well with fish dishes and poultry.

Chemical composition and nutritional value

The energy value of white sauce is 59.8 kcal. Protein contains about 1 gram, fat - 4.4 grams, and carbohydrates - 3.58 grams. The composition of bechamel contains saturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, water, ash, as well as vitamins and minerals. The vitamin composition is revealed by vitamin E (about 1.2 mg), thiamine (about 0.01 mg), riboflavin (0.02 mg) and vitamin PP (about 0.2 mg).

The mineral composition is represented by sodium (411 mg), potassium (25 mg), phosphorus (83 mg), magnesium (6 mg), calcium (14 mg) and iron (0.2 mg). Dietary fiber is about 0.4 grams, water is 89.1 grams and ash is 1.6 grams. Saturated fatty acids account for about 0.9 grams.

Useful properties of bechamel

The components that make up the classic sauce have valuable and beneficial properties for the human body. They contain a wonderful vitamin complex and mineral composition necessary for health.

Since bechamel is essentially a mixture of butter, wheat flour and dairy products, its use:

• improves vision;
• regulates hormonal levels;
• helps improve the condition of skin and hair;
• charges the body with energy and vigor;
• increases efficiency and craving for creativity;
• has an antifungal effect;
• improves the body's protective properties;
• increases immunity;
• normalizes and improves brain function;
• saturates the body with calcium and protein;
• has antiviral properties;
• improves the functioning of the nervous system;
• serves as a prevention of depression and nervous disorders.

All this happens with the help of beneficial substances included in its ingredients. Wheat flour, for example, is a rich source of fiber and carbohydrates. Thanks to it, the sauce becomes very nutritious and satisfying.

To prepare bechamel, you can also use rye, buckwheat, and oatmeal. But preference is given to the second-grade wheat product, since it is more valuable and healthy.

Butter contains such a valuable component as lauric acid, with the help of which the body is able to fight various fungal diseases. Well, milk, of course, is simply a storehouse of calcium and protein, so necessary for the normal functioning of the body.

But here it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that when its components are heat treated, their valuable and medicinal properties are slightly reduced. But the taste of the dish certainly improves.

Harmful and dangerous properties

The harmful properties of this sauce, as well as the beneficial ones, directly depend on the products included in its composition. If you use premium wheat flour for preparation, the bechamel will contain synthetic preservatives, and the caloric content of the final product will also increase, which will undoubtedly lead to uncontrolled weight gain.

Also, frequent consumption of butter can lead to unpleasant consequences in the form of extra pounds. It also contains harmful cholesterol, which accumulates in large quantities in the human body, which leads to the development of diseases such as atherosclerosis.

Some people have a congenital allergy to milk and dairy products, or lactose intolerance. For them, béchamel sauce is strictly contraindicated. It is also dangerous for representatives of the older generation, since milk contains bad cholesterol, the consumption of which leads to atherosclerotic conditions.

Classic sauce recipe

To prepare bechamel you will need:

• butter - 50 grams;
• wheat flour - 50 grams;
• salt - 1 pinch;
• milk or 10% cream - 800 ml;
• nutmeg - 1 teaspoon.

Melt butter in a gravy boat. Gradually add flour there. Stir over low heat until smooth and until the flour turns golden brown. Then pour hot, but not boiled, milk into the resulting mass in a thin stream. This must be done by stirring constantly so that lumps do not form in the process. At the very end of cooking, add a spoonful of nutmeg and a little salt to the sauce. Mix everything thoroughly and remove the sauce boat from the heat.

Bechamel and mayonnaise

Oddly enough, in Russia bechamel and mayonnaise are often confused with each other. Although these two sauces are similar to each other only in their antiquity of origin and milky color. They are completely different from each other, neither in composition nor in scope.

European countries, and especially Italy and France, will never allow themselves to do this. It is impossible to find a single French or Italian who would consider these two sauces interchangeable. Everyone knows perfectly well that mayonnaise is used to season cold dishes, and bechamel is used with hot dishes. In France, it is unacceptable to bake or stew food with mayonnaise; only white sauce is used for this.

If you try to use a rather interesting bechamel instead of the usual mayonnaise, you will immediately notice how the taste of the dishes will change for the better. After all, white sauce, unlike its simpler counterpart, can be easily supplemented with various components in the form of spices and herbs, changing its taste.

conclusions

Bechamel is an exquisite French sauce that came to us from the distant 18th century, but has not yet lost its popularity. In Italian and French cuisine, it deservedly occupies one of the leading places, thanks to its taste and healthy qualities. This sauce goes very well with meat, fish, and vegetable dishes. Goes great with pasta and eggs. This is a universal seasoning; it is served both hot and cold, but preference is still given to the heated product. Thanks to the ingredients included in its composition, bechamel has properties beneficial to the body, but this also determines its contraindications. Eating this white sauce helps increase immunity, improves vision, charges the body with energy and vigor, improves sleep and fights depression. Bechamel also has antiviral properties and has an antifungal effect. It is not recommended to use this sauce for elderly people, as there may be a risk of atherosclerotic conditions. It is also contraindicated for people with lactose intolerance or allergies to milk and dairy products. In general, the main task of any sauce is to improve the taste of various dishes, mask their shortcomings and enhance their advantages. Bechamel copes with all these tasks perfectly.

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.

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.

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.

Mushroom bechamel

Mushroom bechamel

When adding mushrooms, 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.

Bechamel meat

Bechamel meat

The 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 g 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

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.

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.

Tomato bechamel

Tomato bechamel

Bechamel, brewed according to the classic recipe, has a creamy hue. But adding tomato paste gives it a completely different taste and pink color

Ingredients:

• 40 g butter;
• 3 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour;
• 1/2 head of onion;
• 700 ml milk;
• 1 tbsp. spoon of tomato paste;
• salt, spices to taste.

Peel a small onion, cut and chop half. Place butter in a saucepan, place on the stove and fry the onion in oil for 1-2 minutes, then add flour and fry for another 2 minutes.

Pour the milk into the saucepan gradually, stirring the mixture. Cook the sauce for 5-10 minutes until the desired consistency is achieved. 2 minutes before readiness, add tomato paste, salt, spices and mix everything well. Serve the tomato bechamel immediately. This sauce can be added to fried or stewed fish, side dishes based on buckwheat and rice.

Secrets of making bechamel sauce

Famous sauce bechamel is a masterpiece of French cooking, its exquisite taste complements many dishes, making them even tastier and more tender. WITH secrets of making bechamel sauce and recipes for dishes using it you will find in the article

Béchamel is one of the five basic sauces of French cuisine, also called “mother” or “great”. These are veloute, espagnole, hollandaise, bechamel and tomato sauces. It’s not for nothing that base sauces received such a name, because all the sauces of French cuisine are prepared on their basis, and there are no less than 3 thousand of them.

Bechamel sauce traces its “pedigree” to Louis Bechamel, majordomo of the French king Louis XIV. But it is unlikely that this aristocrat invented the famous sauce on his own. Most likely, he hastened to give his name to the brainchild of one of the royal chefs. And for good reason: the simple combination of an oil-flour mixture with cream has become a real sensation in French cooking. What's special about it?
The basis of béchamel sauce is roublon (roux) and milk (in the original version - cream). Rublon, or otherwise called roux (from the French "roux", meaning "red") is a mixture of butter and flour, fried until golden brown.
From the dairy component, only milk or cream is suitable for making sauce. If you replace them, for example, with sour cream or another fermented milk product, then when heated they may curl and the sauce will be spoiled. When choosing cream to prepare the sauce, you need to keep in mind that it cannot be overheated, otherwise it will lose its homogeneous structure. And in order to return the mixture to its original state, you will have to add various liquids to the sauce. For example, broths: vegetable, fish, meat. Therefore, often, when using cream in a sauce, cooks simultaneously introduce broth into it. However, the most ideal option for preparing this sauce is milk with a fat content of 2.5%.
Flour and butter for making roux are taken in equal quantities, and the dose of milk is determined depending on what consistency you want the sauce to be: liquid, medium thick or thick.
To give the sauce a light flavor, the milk is pre-flavored. To do this, spices are placed in cold milk, after which it is gradually heated and infused. The choice of spices is quite wide. These are roots (onion, parsley or dill root), herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram), spices (garlic, onion, pepper). At the same time, it is better to put herbs and small spices in a clothes bag - this will make it easier to remove them from the milk later. It’s easier with roots and pieces of vegetables - after the milk has infused, you just need to strain it.
After flavoring, milk can be used for its intended purpose. It is introduced into the butter-flour mixture gradually - if you add all the milk at once, the flour will float to the surface and lumps will form in the sauce. When the sauce reaches the required thickness, remove it from the heat. That's it - the sauce is ready!
Bechamel sauce goes well with dairy veal, pork, poultry, white fish, potatoes, celery and cauliflower. However, when combining vegetables and sauce, you need to remember that bechamel is still a sauce, not a dressing: during the heat treatment it does not evaporate and is not absorbed into the food, but remains on top.

And finally, the main secrets of Bechamel sauce:

During sauteing, the flour should acquire a golden hue. Do not overcook it - this will give the sauce an unpleasant aftertaste and spoil its appearance.
Pour the milk into the roux gradually, in a thin stream, so that no lumps form in it.
If the formation of lumps cannot be avoided, strain the sauce after cooking.
Stir the sauce only with a wooden spoon: metal utensils can pick up the burnt crust from the bottom of the dish and fried, dense particles will get into the consistency of the sauce.
Do not put spices in boiling milk: only gradual heating will most fully reveal their aromatic qualities.
It is better to lightly fry the onions and vegetables in a dry frying pan before adding them to the milk - this will give them a richer taste.
If you plan to serve bechamel with fish, you don’t have to fry the vegetables - the fish prefers a more delicate aroma.
It is better not to use lemon juice to flavor the sauce, as the acidic environment promotes curdling of the milk. Lemon juice will completely replace the zest.
Do not overdo it with spices - they should only highlight and not interrupt the main, creamy flavor of the sauce.
For stewing, it is better to make a sauce with a thinner consistency.
Meat and fish are not added to the sauce raw, but are first cooked until half cooked.
As soon as characteristic bubbles appear on the surface of the sauce, it is ready.
To prevent the sauce (as well as the roux) from burning, you need to cook it over low heat.
Bechamel is served hot, as a thin film forms on the cold sauce, which spoils its appearance. To eliminate it, you need to pour the sauce back into the pan, add a little milk, heat and mix well.
The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
An ideal bechamel has a light creamy color, a uniform structure and a medium-thick consistency, similar to the consistency of a liquid puree. This sauce flows from the spoon in an even stream, rather than falling out of it in one piece.

Bechamel sauce
Milk 2.5% – 100 ml
Flour - 50 g
Butter - 50 g
Spices - to taste
First soften the butter and rub the flour into it. Place the mixture in a heated frying pan and fry over low heat until golden brown. . Add spices to the milk, heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes over low heat. After that, take out the spices and pour the milk in a thin stream into the butter-flour mixture. Stirring constantly, bring the sauce to medium thickness and remove from heat.

Bechamel sauce (microwave)
Butter – 60 ml
Flour - 60 g
Milk – 750 ml
Nutmeg (grated) - to taste
Black pepper (ground) - to taste
Salt - to taste
Melt the butter in the microwave at 100% power for 1-2 minutes; add flour to it and heat at the same power for 1 minute. Add milk, stirring vigorously. Boil the sauce for 5-6 minutes, uncovered, at full power, stirring occasionally. Salt, pepper and add nutmeg. We filter.

Lasagne Bolognese style
Veal – 300 g
Onion – 150 g
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Carrots – 50 g
Vegetable oil - 75 g
Cream - 50 g
Tomatoes “Pilati” – 50 g
Paste – 100 g
Parmesan cheese - 20 g
Bechamel sauce – 50 g
Tomato juice – 200 g
Flour - 3 g
Butter - 3 tbsp.
Grind the veal in a meat grinder and fry in vegetable oil. Finely chop the onion (50 g), sauté and add to the meat. Cut the carrots into small cubes and add them to the meat. Add cream, chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Place the pasta in boiling salted water with added vegetable oil and cook until tender. Then place the pasta in a colander and let the excess water drain. Place a layer of paste in the mold and place a layer of minced meat on it. Sprinkle portions of lasagna with grated cheese and bake until it turns golden brown.
For the sauce, finely chop the onion (100 g) and fry it in butter (2 tablespoons). Add tomato juice, salt and pepper. Sauté the flour in butter (1 tbsp) and add to the sauce. Bring it to a boil and simmer over low heat until it thickens. Then cool the sauce, add Bechamel and blend in a blender. Pour the sauce over the finished lasagna and serve.

Pancakes "Omoniere"
Boiled tongue - 50 g
Bacon – 25 g
Ham - 30 g
Butter - 15 g
Onions - 10 g
Gherkins – 15 g
Mushroom sauce – 50 ml
Bechamel sauce – 40 ml
Flour - 3 tbsp.
Eggs - 1 piece
Milk – 200 ml
Vegetable oil – 25 ml
Green onions - 5 g
Salt - to taste
Cut the tongue, bacon, ham, gherkins, and onions into small cubes and lightly fry in butter, then add sauces (mushroom and bechamel) and simmer until tender. From the prepared dough (milk, egg, flour, salt, whipped until smooth), fry pancakes and put minced meat in them. Then we form bags from pancakes. We use green onion feathers as culinary twine.
Serve pancakes with sour cream.

Subtleties of making pancakes
If you pour a few tablespoons of fat into the pancake batter and stir well, you won’t need to grease the pan every time.

Sturgeon with bechamel sauce
Sturgeon – 350 g
Butter - 25 g
White wine – 30 ml
Champignons – 50 g
Pepper - to taste
Salt - to taste
Milk – 110 ml
Oil – 10 g
Flour - 10 g
Cut the fish fillet without skin and cartilage into portions, add salt, sprinkle with black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes in wine and butter. We wipe raw fresh mushrooms, simmer them in oil and prepare puree. We prepare bechamel sauce from milk, butter and flour, add mushroom puree and the juice in which the fish was stewed. Pour a little sauce into the frying pan so that the fish is completely covered with it, and bake in a very hot oven. Serve in the same bowl.

You've probably heard about the five basic sauces of French cuisine? They are also called “mother” sauces or “great” sauces. They form the basis of the culinary tradition of France, they can be found in a huge number of recipes, and the large-scale and world-famous “edifice” of French cuisine is built on them.

Perhaps, standing on a par with veloute, espagnole, hollandaise and tomato sauces, bechamel is still half a step ahead - maybe because it is more famous? Or because it is especially delicate and versatile and goes well with a huge number of dishes? Or is the secret of its popularity in the special aura that is created around the Bechamel sauce - an aura of sophistication and elegance? Be that as it may, this particular recipe is the main one of the five parts that form the “backbone” of French cooking.

Knowing how to cook bechamel is practically a rule of good manners. Agree, you can’t show up in the kitchen, declare yourself a guru and start impressing guests without first learning the basics and theory. So, in order to become a chef, among other exams, you will have to pass a test specifically on the ability to cook the right bechamel - this is that undeniable and necessary basis. Let's figure it out.

Conventionally, Bechamel sauce can be divided into two parts: rublon or roux (French roux - red) and milk (cream).

Rublon is flour mixed with butter, fried until lightly golden. The standard proportion is 1:1, although some chefs sometimes change it depending on their own preferences.

The amount of milk added to the sauce can also vary significantly in different versions. Depending on the thickness of the sauce you need, you will need a little more or a little less liquid. The general rule is this: for liquid bechamel sauce add 120-180 g of roux per 1 liter of milk, for thick sauce - 300 g of roux per 1 liter of milk (thick, “like paste”, bechamel is the basis, for example, of soufflé). It’s easy to remember this ratio (for a sauce of medium thickness): parts of roux = 1 to 1, milk = 5 times the sum of the parts of roux. So, if you take 50 g of butter and flour, then pour in 500 ml of milk.

The basic, classic bechamel sauce is minimalistic - it's milk, flour, butter, salt and pepper. This sauce is the basis for the preparation of other sauces or part of dishes - lasagna, moussaka, dishes with spinach, complex pastas. But most often, milk for making Bechamel sauce is pre-flavored - with herbs, roots, spices. The goal is to give neutral dishes a more expressive taste, such as baked fish or a slice of chicken fillet. To do this, add the required set of natural flavors to cold milk (nutmeg, rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, thyme, dill, onion, garlic, coriander, caraway, parsnip or parsley root), and then slowly bring to a boil - it is believed that only This is how the aromas of herbs and roots are revealed best. After boiling, turn off the fire, cover the pan with a lid and leave for 2-3 hours to infuse. After the specified time, the milk must be strained through cheesecloth or a fine sieve and only then used to prepare the sauce.

From the history of sauce

In general, the story is as simple as the world: they say that the famous sauce was invented by Louis Bechamel, the majordomo of Louis XIV, the king who ensured the flourishing of an absolute monarchy for his country. Alas, there is no intrigue, interesting turns of events or secret intricacies, despite the fact that the era itself was characterized by an abundance of mysteries and secrets. However, there is one “zest” in the loud but short epic called “Béchamel”: historians strongly doubt that the invention of the recipe belongs personally to the king’s manager of affairs, the eponymous Mr. Béchamel. Most likely, the sauce was first prepared by one of the court chefs, but the cunning majordomo, sensing how he could earn the favor of the king, quickly attributed the invention to his own person.

The famous “white sauce” was first mentioned in Le Cuisinier François in 1651 - the book was written by the court cook of Louis XIV, François Pierre de La Farenne, and it was he who left a written indication of the newfangled sauce. After this, the culinary manual was republished many, many dozens of times (only in the next 75 years - at least 30 times!), The popularity of the sauce continued to grow.

There was no exact recipe in the book, however, there is reason to assert that bechamel has survived to this day practically unchanged: the same wheat flour, the same high-quality butter, the same milk.

Classic recipe for Bechamel sauce

To start experimenting and creating, you need to learn how to implement a basic sauce recipe. In fact, there is nothing complicated, a little practice - and you will succeed!

Ingredients:
50 g butter;
50 g flour;
500 ml milk with 2.5% fat content;
salt, ground white pepper.

Melt the butter over low heat. Make sure that the oil is not fried, otherwise the sauce will not be white, but yellow or brown.

Add flour to the melted butter and begin to quickly rub it into the butter with a wooden spatula and whisk. It will take you 1-2 minutes to combine the flour and butter - during this time the mixture will foam slightly.

In a thin stream and in small portions (literally a spoon or two), start adding cold (!) milk, each time stirring and beating the sauce until smooth. The fire is as low as possible, or remove the pan from the stove altogether. Enter a smaller portion of milk - 100-150 grams. When it becomes clear that there are no lumps in the sauce, add the remaining milk, increase the heat to medium, bring to a boil and cook the sauce over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Don't forget to stir constantly!

Season the finished sauce with salt and pepper.

The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days, covered with oiled film.

White sauce with nutmeg

This sauce - with spices - is known even better than the classic version. The principle of preparation and the proportions of ingredients are the same, only more milk may be used since we will cook it. What spices are used most often? Nutmeg, as well as bay leaf, cloves, ground peppers. You can add a small onion and other spices and herbs, or you can get by with just nutmeg.

Ingredients:
50 g butter;
50 g flour;
600 g milk;
salt, nutmeg, spices and herbs to taste.

Prepare the roux as described above. Let it cool.

Grind the herbs and spices in a mortar, place in a cloth bag and place in cold milk. Bring to a boil, then cook for 10-15 minutes. Discard the spice bag (if you didn't have one, be sure to strain the milk through a sieve). Add hot milk to 500 ml if it has boiled down too much.

Place cold roux into hot milk. Stir. If the milk has cooled down, put it on the stove, but do not bring it to a boil - we need hot milk, as it is before it boils.

Whisk the roux until the sauce is smooth.

Watch this wonderful video of Gordon Ramsay making bechamel sauce with cheese in his inimitable style. It is not necessary to understand English, you can even turn off the sound - you will understand everything without it.

Vegan bechamel

If for some reason you cannot temporarily or permanently eat animal products (diet, fasting, vegetarianism), no problem: you can make Bechamel sauce without milk! Read carefully, it's very tasty.

Ingredients:
200 g cashew nuts;
350 ml water;
60 g flour;
2 tbsp. l. olive oil;
salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste.

Pour boiling water over raw cashews and leave for 4-5 minutes, then pour out the water, place the nuts in a blender bowl and fill with clean water again - this time cold, add 300 ml. Turn on the blender, bring the mixture until completely smooth, gradually pour in the remaining 50 ml of water, and if necessary, dilute the resulting nut milk with a little more liquid.

Mix flour with olive oil and lightly fry in a saucepan. Pour in the nut milk in a thin stream with constant stirring, stir until completely smooth. Cook over low heat until thickened. Finally add salt, pepper and nutmeg. If necessary, the resulting sauce can be strained through a fine sieve.

Tomato sauce "Béchamel"

A very non-standard combination, a kind of anti-white sauce, but still it is bechamel, albeit not in the usual “clothing”. Try it by all means! The sauce is perfect for pasta, sandwiches, and baked potatoes.

Ingredients:
50 g butter;
50 g flour;
500 ml milk;
1 tbsp. l. tomato puree;
salt and pepper to taste.

Grind the butter with flour, place the mixture in a frying pan with a thick bottom or in a saucepan and, stirring, lightly fry until light golden brown (for details, see above, in the basic recipe). Pour in milk in a thin stream, literally 50 ml at a time. After each “dose”, knead the flour mixture until completely homogeneous. Gradually add all the milk. At the end, add salt, pepper, spices and tomato puree. Stir, the sauce is ready.

How to cook Bechamel in the microwave

Of course, this recipe is far from a classic - it can’t even be called canonical. However, it can be a great help for those who want to cook, but prefer to do it with minimal time and effort.

Ingredients:
50 g flour;
50 g butter;
600 ml milk;
salt, nutmeg and other spices to taste.

Grind the melted butter with flour, place the bowl in the microwave for 1.5 minutes at maximum power.

Take it out and pour in all the milk in a thin stream, stirring constantly. A homogeneous mass is needed. Return the bowl back to the microwave for 4.5-5 minutes, maximum power. Periodically pause the cooking process and stir the contents of the bowl. At the end, add salt and nutmeg, mix well and strain through a fine sieve.

If you need a thicker sauce, increase the cooking time to 6 minutes.

1. Use the right cookware - a thick, non-stick pan with one handle. Grind and stir with a wooden spatula and a convenient whisk.

1. The main secret to a homogeneous, smooth, lump-free bechamel is the temperature of the sauce parts. Their contrasting, diametrically opposed temperatures: if the roux is hot, cold milk should be poured in, and vice versa: hot milk should interact with the cold roux. It is acceptable if both are warm, other options other than those listed are a recipe for disappointment. But if, nevertheless, the sauce turns out to be lumpy and completely unsuitable for consumption, pick up a blender and run it thoroughly through the resulting mass.

1. Cooking time for the sauce after boiling is 5-7 minutes. In textbooks on French cooking you will find the following recommendation: “Cook the sauce for no more than 10 and no less than 40 minutes, since in 10 minutes the taste of raw flour will not have time to develop, and in 40-60 minutes the sauce will lose the taste of raw flour.” This is a scientifically proven fact. Classic bechamel is cooked according to all the rules for about an hour. Briefly, quickly, in less than 10 minutes, prepare bechamel at home.

1. Don't over-fry the flour - it should just be slightly golden, creamy and have a subtle nutty smell. If the flour darkens thoroughly, the sauce will be bitter, and it will also lose its color - after all, you are preparing a white sauce. The color of the sauce is delicately light beige, light cream, without pronounced brown or yellow notes.

1. Do not try to speed up what should a priori be cooked slowly. The heat under the frying pan should be minimal; it will only become medium at the final stage, when you pour all the milk into the pan. Burnt sauce is not the best alternative to saving time.

1. The classic component of Bechamel sauce is milk. Sour cream and other fermented milk “comrades” will inevitably curdle, this is not an option. However, you can take the cream, but it should be borne in mind that the cream are also not the simplest guys, they can also play tricks with their ears and curl up at the most inopportune moment. For this reason, many cooks dilute them with broth - vegetable or meat.

1. Bechamel is beautiful with its viscous, delicate consistency and creamy aftertaste. No one forbids the use of spices when preparing it, however, keep in mind that the creamy aroma must remain the leading one, everything else should stand modestly on the sidelines and only highlight the main idea of ​​​​the sauce.

1. The sauce can be made liquid, or it can be very thick - it depends on your further goals. The “correct” consistency of a universal homemade bechamel will allow the mass to flow evenly from the spoon, slightly enveloping it with residue. Under no circumstances should the finished product fall into a thick lump, nor should it rapidly flop down into a liquid, indistinct something. If the sauce is too thick, dilute it with milk and then heat it up. Thicken any roux that is too thin with a roux specially prepared for this purpose, and then simmer for another minute.

1. If you serve bechamel to the table as an accompaniment to certain prepared dishes (and do not use it as a component of a recipe), it must be served hot - as it cools, the sauce will become crusty, which is completely unacceptable. Therefore, serve warm and use immediately. Well, or almost urgently.

1. If you make too much sauce, the leftovers can be safely stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Be sure to cover thoroughly with cling film or pour the sauce into an airtight container.

What to use Bechamel sauce with? 10 available ideas:

1. Lasagna. Classic. Of course, there are recipes for making lasagna without bechamel sauce, but still the main and most popular recipe involves its use; many seriously believe that lasagna without bechamel is like borscht without beets.

1. Paste. Bechamel is one of the most popular sauces served with spaghetti, penne, tagliatelle and other pasta. The creamy aroma and enveloping structure turn any pasta into an almost masterpiece.

Mushroom béchamel sauce

1. Casseroles, tarts and pies. If the filling that you planned to put in the pie seems a little dry to you, a little bechamel will not only save the situation - it will transform it to incredible results! Boiled fish, fried minced meat, unleavened vegetables - everything will be wonderful and tasty in the company of this sauce.

1. Pancakes. If you mix mushrooms, fried onions, boiled chicken fillet, a little grated cheese and bechamel, you can make an amazing pancake filling. Form them into “bags”, tie them with a feather of green onion - you have a delicious snack ready.

1. Baked fish. Place any neutral-tasting fish (sturgeon, pike perch, cod, hake, pangasius) in a baking dish, pour Bechamel sauce mixed with lightly fried mushrooms and cheese over it, bake until cooked. Simple, elegant, delicious.

1. Oven-baked or steamed vegetables - cauliflower, potatoes, celery root, broccoli, pumpkin and others.“Béchamel” will give discreet-tasting and often rather bland vegetables an interesting flavor note. A little grated Parmesan - and an incredibly healthy, tasty and aromatic dinner is ready.

1. Asparagus. Classics of the genre. Asparagus and bechamel are made for each other! The taste is refined, delicate, very delicate and “clean”.

1. Eggs. Cooked in the oven with Bechamel sauce, they will become a real feast of taste! Add some sautéed spinach to the ramekins and get the famous Eggs Florentine.

1. Sandwiches. Down with harmful mayonnaise, try seasoning the components of sandwiches and burgers with classic “white” sauce. By the way, this is an excellent reason to learn how to cook Croque Monsieur - this sandwich is impossible without the famous bechamel.

1. Julienne. Yes, yes, season the chicken, mushrooms and cheese with the classic Bechamel sauce and get a delicious dish in its perfection.

Today, it is no longer so important who was the first to come up with the idea of ​​​​preparing a milk sauce based on flour and butter, it does not matter what spices can be added to the milk and what proportion to choose in order to make the ideal Bechamel sauce from the point of view of a particular person. Another thing is important: based on the classic recipe, cooks tirelessly come up with new and new recipes. Who knows, maybe very soon we will hear something unusual from you? Dare and do not be afraid, many wonderful discoveries were made by amateurs.