Classic Béchamel Sauce (Sauce Béchamel)

Tags: #classic-french #mother-sauce #foundation Serving: 8 servings (about 1,000 ml) Total time: 35 minutes

A silky, ivory mother sauce of milk thickened with a white roux and delicately infused with aromatics.

Ingredients

• 1,000 ml whole milk
• 100 g yellow onion, peeled and halved
• 0.4 g whole cloves (2 pieces)
• 0.3 g bay leaf (1 leaf)
• 80 g unsalted butter
• 80 g all-purpose flour
• 8 g fine sea salt
• 0.5 g ground white pepper
• 0.5 g freshly grated nutmeg

Steps

1. Insert the cloves into the onion halves.
2. Place the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
3. Add the clove-studded onion and bay leaf to the milk.
4. Heat the milk over medium heat until steaming and small bubbles form at the edge.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
6. Cover the saucepan.
7. Steep the milk for 15 minutes.
8. Strain the milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof jug.
9. Wipe the saucepan dry.
10. Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium-low heat.
11. Add the flour to the melted butter.
12. Whisk the flour and butter until a smooth paste forms.
13. Cook the roux for 2 to 3 minutes without browning.
14. Reduce the heat to low.
15. Add 200 ml of the hot infused milk to the roux.
16. Whisk until completely smooth.
17. Add another 200 ml milk.
18. Whisk until smooth.
19. Add another 200 ml milk.
20. Whisk until smooth.
21. Add another 200 ml milk.
22. Whisk until smooth.
23. Add the final 200 ml milk.
24. Whisk until smooth.
25. Increase the heat to medium.
26. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.
27. Reduce the heat to low.
28. Simmer the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes.
29. Stir the sauce frequently with a wooden spoon, reaching the corners of the pan.
30. Skim any surface foam or skin.
31. Add the salt.
32. Add the white pepper.
33. Add the nutmeg.
34. Taste the sauce for seasoning.
35. Add small amounts of hot milk if the sauce is too thick.
36. Cook the sauce for 1 minute after any adjustments.