Basic White Sauce
makes approximately 2 cups
Basic white sauce, or béchamel, is one of the cornerstones of good cooking. This sauce is amazingly versatile and can be used for both sweet and savory dishes with only slight changes. The freshly grated nutmeg really heightens the dairy flavor.
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Sea salt
1 bay leaf
White pepper
prep: 15 minutes
total: 20 minutes
2 small saucepans
wooden spoon
whisk
fine mesh sieve
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until the foam subsides and then add the flour, stirring constantly to create a roux. Cook for 5 minutes until the mixture smells a little nutty and is the color of sand.
2. Meanwhile, bring the milk and cream to scalding with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Do not boil the milk and cream mixture.
3. Add half of the scalded milk into the roux and whisk continuously to avoid forming lumps. Whisk in the remainder of the milk and add the bay leaf. Simmer on low heat until the béchamel sauce is thick and smooth, 10-12 minutes.
4. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve and add the nutmeg, white pepper and salt to taste.
