French
Béchamel Sauce
This medium-bodied mother sauce is fluid enough for lasagna and gratins but substantial enough to coat a spoon. Warm infused milk enters a thoroughly cooked white roux in stages, preventing lumps and
4 servings · 5 minutes prep · 18 minutes cook
Ingredients
Infused milk
- 4 cups (950 ml) whole milk
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 whole cloves
Roux and seasoning
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Directions
Infuse the milk
- Pin the bay leaf to the onion with the cloves. Combine with the milk in a saucepan and heat over medium-low until steaming and tiny bubbles form at the edge. Cover, remove from the heat, and infuse 10 minutes. Discard the onion, bay, and cloves; keep the milk hot.
Cook the sauce
- Melt the butter in a heavy 3-quart (3-L) saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking continuously, for 2 to 3 minutes. The roux should foam, smell lightly biscuity, and remain pale.
- Add one-quarter of the hot milk in a thin stream while whisking vigorously. Once smooth and thick, whisk in the remaining milk in three additions.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, whisking around the corners of the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently with a spatula, until the sauce coats a spoon and no longer tastes floury.
- Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Use immediately, or press parchment directly on the surface and cool promptly. To adjust for a gratin, simmer 2 to 3 minutes longer; for a thinner coating sauce, whisk in hot milk.
