Béchamel Sauce For Lasagna
Equipment
- 1 Sauce pot
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 500 ml milk warmed to just above room temperature
- 50 gr butter
- 50 gr flour
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
- pinch freshly grated nutmeg optional
Instructions
- Melt butter over low heat (do not brown the butter, and ensure that it is just melted and not boiling).
- As soon as it is 90% melted, take the pot off the heat and add flour. Combine the two together with a wooden spoon and put it back on the stove.
- Cook the flour-butter mixture for a few minutes on low heat while stirring it (it will look like a big lump but it will loosen up later, and ensure that is not too brown).
- Start adding in the warm milk a little bit at a time and whisk on a medium heat (if the milk is added too quickly lumps will form).
- Once all the milk has been added and the sauce thickens, add the seasonings and cook for another few minutes on a low heat until the mixture sticks to the back of a teaspoon.
- Take off the heat and place a piece of baking paper on the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming as it cools down.
Notes
- Don’t brown the roux as it will cause the béchamel to turn golden brown instead of staying a light color.
- Warm up the milk and add the milk in batches as this will prevent lumps and remember to whisk it well!
- Béchamel sauce will form a skin on the surface if it does not used right away so remember to press plastic wrap or parchment paper directly on the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming as it cools. Alternatively, you can also store it in an airtight container in the fridge of freezer.
- Use a wide, high-sided skillet as it makes everything cook faster. Alternatively, use a 5 qt enamel-coated braising dish instead.