Bechamel sauce, also known as white sauce, is an ancient European sauce made by adding milk to a roux of butter and flour. It is a mother sauce that forms the basis for other sauces and is believed to have been created in the 17th century by Louis XIV’s personal chef, Pierre de la Varenne. Careful attention must be paid to the roux and milk temperature to avoid lumps and overcooking. Common additions include processed cheese or mustard to create creamy sauces that complement meats, vegetables, or pastas.
Bechamel sauce, also called white sauce, is an ancient European sauce, at least 300 years old. It often forms the basis for other sauces and is called a simple or mother sauce by the French. You can’t have cream sauce, most cheese sauces, or the ever-popular fondue without bechamel.
Béchamel sauce comes from adding milk to a roux, a combination of butter and flour. Other ingredients can then be added to create other sauces. Processed cheese or mustard are common additions to create creamy sauces that can complement cooked meats, vegetables, or pastas. When cream is added instead of milk, bechamel sauce is often called cream sauce.
It’s hard to claim exactly when the béchamel sauce was made. Cooks who worked for the nobility and had access to ways to store milk without acid probably made the early versions. Of course, a dairy farmer might make this sauce with fresh milk, but the average farmer’s wife was quite wary of using milk that wasn’t fresh in recipes since she spoiled it so often.
Claims about who invented bechamel sauce are usually based on four theories. The first is that Catherine de Medici’s chefs invented the sauce in the 14th century. Alternatively, the Duke of Phillipe Mornay created the sauce in the early 17th century. Others suggest that the sauce was created for Louis XIV by his principal steward, the Marquis Louis de Béchamel.
The most probable theory is that this sauce was created for Louis XIV by his personal chef, Pierre de la Varenne. La Varenne is certainly the first to write the recipe in his cookbook Le Cuisinier Francois translated as The real French cook. La Varenne’s book was written in the 17th century, so we can date the béchamel sauce to around 1680 or so.
There are a few keys to making a béchamel sauce. The former begins by carefully watching the roux, the mix of flour and butter, so it doesn’t burn. Unless you’re making Cajun food, you want the roux to stay relatively yellow or light brown, but never dark brown. The recipes differ greatly on the butter to flour ratio. Many advocate equal parts butter and flour.
When adding the milk to the sauce, you should be sure the milk is room temperature or slightly warmed. Adding cold milk can “break up” the sauce resulting in a lumpy rather than creamy result. The milk should be added a few drops at a time and incorporated with constant whisking. Overcooking can also ruin this sauce. Keep whisking and keep an eye on the thickness. Once it reaches the desired thickness, remove it from the heat.
If you want to keep your white sauce “white,” use white instead of black pepper. Some chefs also like to use a little shallot or onion, which is mixed with warming milk. Others use a bouquet garni, a small bundle of herbs while heating the milk. These are removed before the milk is added to the roux, but they have flavored the milk with their own essential oils.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
