This is one of the easiest and yet most difficult sauces! It has a French origin but is widely used in Italian cooking. It is a basic sauce that can be used in many recipes eg. Lasagna
Ingredients (1 pint of sauce)
60g Butter
60g Plain Flour
1 pint Milk
Salt & Pepper
Pinch of Nutmeg
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Method
Guideline: Use the same amount of butter and flour, as per the above quantities, then just add milk until you get the right thickness
Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat.
Add the flour to the pan and stir well with a wooden spoon to the consistency of a paste.
Start adding the milk slowly and keep stirring. Do NOT burn the milk
TIP: Cold milk is fine. Hot milk from microwave (6 mins) will be quicker!
TIP: Do not add more milk until the first amount has been absorbed into the mixture in the pan.
When mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes to make sure the flour is properly cooked.
TIP: Bechamel sauce thickens as it cools down, so do not add more milk when you are re-heating!
TIP: Cover the Bechamel sauce in the pan with clingfilm to prevent a skin from forming if you do not intend to use it straight away.