HOW TO MAKE AUTHENTIC BECHAMEL SAUCE
Bechamel sauce originated in France, but is incredibly important in Italian cooking. We use this versatile sauce in a number of dishes, including lasagna, crepes, and traditional pasta. Although many people the world over use ricotta cheese for these recipes, it’s not as common throughout Italy. Instead, béchamel sauce is preferred because it doesn’t overpower the other cheeses and flavours of the dish.
Bechamel sauce is easy to make. You’ll be able to whip it up with common household ingredients in just a few minutes – and some elbow grease! When you’re done, you’ll be amazed by the result, and I guarantee you’ll start making your dishes even more Italian with this key ingredient.
Watch the Bechamel Sauce video recipe:
How To Make BECHAMEL SAUCE Like an Italian
Vincenzo’s Plate Tips
Be Gentle
If you’re in a hurry, you may feel tempted to crank up the heat on your stove to melt your butter faster. Please don’t! You will scorch your butter and have to start over. Instead, use low heat to very gently melt the butter. Even at a low temperature, it will still melt quickly, so trust the process.
Whisk Thoroughly
In order to make your béchamel as creamy as possible, you need to gently but thoroughly whisk the flour in with the butter. You don’t want to see any flour showing through when you’re finished. What you want is a nice, thick cream.
Keep It Moist
You never want to allow your béchamel sauce to dry out. Add your milk bit by bit to the flour and butter mixture. Begin with about ¼ of the total milk required for the recipe and stir over medium- low heat. Anytime the sauce begins to dry, it’s time to add more milk.
Get Your Workout!
Some people go to the gym, but if I need a good workout, I just make some yummy béchamel sauce! This is because you never want to stop stirring your sauce once it’s cooking. If you walk away and stop stirring, your sauce will stick to the side of the saucepan and end up burning. Not only will you have to start all over, you’ll end up with a messy pot on your hands.
Follow Your Heart
You have some flexibility when it comes to the final thickness of your bechamel sauce. If you prefer your sauce to be thicker, you may not want to add as much milk. However, for those who like it on the runnier side (like me), make sure you stop cooking the sauce before it begins to thicken too much.
How to Serve Bechamel Sauce
There’s almost no wrong way to serve creamy béchamel sauce, as it’s used in a wide range of dishes. For example, you can use it as the creamy component in your Italian lasagna, you can drizzle the sauce over savoury crepes, or even add it to other pasta sauces.
Authentic, Creamy Béchamel Sauce Recipe
Print Recipe
Bechamel sauce is an essential ingredient for Italian cooking borrowed from the French! It is the
number one way to get your Italian lasagna just perfect and can be used as a secret binding
sauce for many other dishes including baked pasta and savoury crepes. It is subtle in flavour
but adds the perfect texture – just make sure it’s not lumpy!
Servings:
Equipment
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Measuring cup
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 25 g Butter, 0.8oz
- 25 g Plain flour, 1/8 cup
- 250 ml Cup milk
- Nutmeg
Instructions
Making delicious, authentic béchamel sauce:
- Place a small saucepan on the stove at low heat.
- Add butter and let it slowly, gently melt.
- Begin adding flour to the melted butter and whisk really well until the flour disappears and the mixture becomes creamy.
- Add 1/4 of the milk to the mixture. Stir very gently on medium-low heat.
- As the cream becomes dry, add more milk and continue to stir.
- When the sauce has achieved your desired thickness, you can turn off the heat and stop stirring.
- Add a touch of nutmeg and salt to enhance the flavours and mix through. Then use on your favourite dish of choice!
Video
E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
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