Bechamel Sauce (Besciamella) Basic Version

Bechamel Sauce or the White Sauce is the most common and popular amoung all French Sauces. Though its a French sauce, its used in Italian cuisine as well. Its the base for making other white sauces too. The recipe below is the authentic one, where butter, flour and milk are whisked together and seasoned with salt, pepper & nutmeg powder. Nowadays, its made even more flavourful by adding a slice of onion and mace to it. For now, we will learn the authentic way. :)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup plain flour (maida)
• 500 ml milk
• pinch of nutmeg powder
• Oregano
• salt & pepper for seasoning

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Whisk in the flour.
3. Pour in all the milk, whisking constantly until lump free and when it starts to boil. Season with salt, lower the heat, cover & simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir frequently. Bechamel sauce should not taste floury. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Season with pepper & nutmeg. Sprinkle some Oregano if you want.
4. Your sauce is ready to be used in pastas, gratins, souffles or stuffings.

- If the sauce is too thick, add little more milk.

-If the sauce is too runny, return to the heat & add a knob of butter mixed with flour.

- For a richer sauce, replace half the milk with the same amount of double cream.

- For a lighter sauce, add half milk & half water.