Classic recipe for béchamel sauce
This recipe for French white sauce by rightcan be called good old classics. True, he is far from the original, but what to do if the rhythm of life forces us to seek new approaches to ancient dishes and interpret them to modern realities. That recipe, according to which in the distant times of the Sun King was prepared bechamel, underwent a number of changes. First of all, this concerns the cooking time, which has been significantly reduced. But gentle delicate taste remained the same. So, here's how the classic recipe looks in a new way. Ingredients:
- Butter - 2 tablespoons
- wheat flour - 2 tablespoons
- milk - 2 cups
- salt - to taste
- pepper ground white - to taste
- nutmeg - to taste
Cooking method: Take a frying pan with high sides, in it you will make a sauce. First, heat the chosen dishes on fire, add butter and melt into it. Then add the flour. Mix everything thoroughly so that the mass is as homogeneous as possible. Take care that the brown shade does not appear - it will be weak or saturated, it does not matter. This means one thing - the flour is fried, and the process will have to start anew. If everything turned out the first time, you can gradually introduce cold milk. Do this slowly, constantly stirring the contents of the frying pan and preventing the formation of lumps. When all the milk is smoothly moved to the rest of the ingredients, continue to cook the sauce until smooth. Add salt and spices, focusing on your own taste. Keep on low heat for another 5 minutes, until a medium consistency is obtained. If you know in advance that you need to make a less fluid bechamel, then instead of the indicated 2 tablespoons of flour and butter you need to take 3. And, respectively, if you want to use a more liquid sauce, then the amount of these ingredients for 2 cups of milk cut to 1 dining room spoons. Only by following these recommendations will you be able to cook a real classic béchamel. 
Béchamel with cream
If you want a more intense taste,then it is better to prepare a French white cream-based sauce. The recipe described below, in principle, can also be called a classic option. By the way, it provides for the addition of a small amount of concentrated broth, almost the same as in the old days. The sauce will get pretty thick. With it you can bake vegetables, serve meat and fish dishes. It will turn out very tasty and juicy! Ingredients:
- Butter - 100 grams
- wheat flour - 1 tablespoon with a slide
- concentrated meat broth (low-fat) - 4 tablespoons
- cream of 20% fat content - 250 milliliters
- salt - 1/3 teaspoon
- pepper ground (preferably white) - to taste
- nutmeg - to taste
Cooking method: Take a sauté pan or a deep frying pan and put it on a weak fire. Put the butter in the dishes and melt it. Cautiously, stirring constantly, pour in the flour. Make sure that it is fully connected to the oil, without forming lumps. In no case do not overcook the flour, it will spoil the whole taste of this delicate sauce. Try to catch the moment when the flour disperses in butter and is covered with foam. The color should not change much, it needs only slightly yellow. If it has become light brown, everything will have to start again. And if you remember right on time, then add the next ingredient in the frying pan - cold meat broth. Thoroughly mix everything and at the same time in a thin trickle, start pouring in the cooled cream. Now you can salt and season your future sauce. Try it and if you like it, then bring the béchamel to a boil. If you did everything right, the sauce will almost immediately get a thick consistency. Once again, mix the mixture thoroughly, achieving maximum uniformity. That's all, white sauce is ready for further use. If you need to spend only some of it, then the rest is poured into a glass jar or another container with a tight lid. Melt a small piece of butter and gently pour the surface of the sauce over it. This will allow him not to wither. In the refrigerator, the finished béchamel can be stored for 2-3 days without compromising its taste and quality characteristics.
Béchamel home-style with sour cream
This recipe can not be called classical, but ithas the right to exist, as the taste of the sauce is quite pleasant and full. Such a bechamel can quickly cook any hostess and serve it to a hot meat dish for dinner. It goes well with all your favorite spaghetti. Therefore, if there is sour cream in your refrigerator, why not experiment and complement the usual dish with a small French accent? Ingredients:
- Butter - 100 grams
- wheat flour - 1 tablespoon
- meat broth - 250 grams
- sour cream (25% fat content) - 2 tablespoons
- salt and spices to taste
Cooking method: Take a deep frying pan and put it on the fire. Put the butter in it, melt it. Now add the flour and lightly fry. When she gets a beautiful golden hue, pour cold meat broth in small portions. All the time, carefully stir the contents of the pan so that no lumps form. When all the broth is smoothly transferred to flour and oil, enter sour cream. Again, mix it thoroughly, wait for the boil, season to taste. Do not rush to remove the sour cream from the plate. He needs to boil for about a minute until the consistency begins to acquire the right density. Do not forget to stir the sauce constantly. Do it best with a wooden spatula or spoon. If you use utensils from other materials, the béchamel can acquire an unpleasant metallic taste. Finished the sauce cool and add to it your main course. If you have not used up all the béchamel, then the residue can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days. As to the density of the white sauce, there is much debate. Someone argues that it is better to regulate it by using more or less flour. But professionals recommend doing otherwise. If you plan to use béchamel as a gravy, then remove it from the fire as soon as it begins to thicken. If you plan to bake meat or vegetables under it, then it's better to hold it on fire longer, for about 40 minutes. In general, it's better to regulate the consistency of the sauce, but if you want to do this by changing the number of main ingredients, butter and flour, then observe the correct proportions. Otherwise, the result can be very disappointing. 
Béchamel on chicken broth
Such a recipe for white sauce is slightly different fromclassical. First of all, in that it provides for the combination of two types of oils - sunflower and cream. But it does not spoil the taste of the dish, on the contrary, it gives it a special depth. Chicken broth plays a role, which, in combination with milk, makes beshamel rich and rich. Try to pour this sauce with a simple set of vegetables and cook in a stew with a French accent. You will surely like our recipe! Ingredients:
- Butter - 25 grams
- Sunflower oil - 2 tablespoons
- wheat flour - 2 tablespoons
- milk - 450 milliliters
- chicken broth - 450 milliliters
- salt - to taste
- white pepper powder - to taste
Cooking method: As in all other cases, you need to start by heating the sauté pan over a fire. In it, put the butter; as soon as it melts, add sunflower. Then slowly add flour, while stirring, so it does not turn into clots. When the consistency becomes homogeneous, start to gradually add milk, do not stop stirring, so that the mass becomes homogeneous. And here it is necessary to take into account one important point. It consists in the seasoning of white sauce at the right time. Professionals do not recommend pouring spices into hot milk or broth. It is much better to do this earlier, before it warms up. So spices will more fully reveal their aromatic characteristics and make the dish more rich and rich to taste. When all the milk is in a frying pan, gently pour the chicken broth, salt, pepper to taste and bring to the boil the contents of the frying pan. Cook the French sauce for another 7 minutes. Do not forget to stir it. Once the béchamel has acquired the necessary consistency, remove it from the fire. Use the ready-made sauce at your own discretion, and put the remainder in the refrigerator, moving it into a container with a tight lid. You can store béchamel for three days.
Béchamel with tomatoes
All housewives use a special gravy, inwhich is stewed cabbage rolls. As you know, it is prepared from sour cream and tomato paste. And if you stuff stuffed cabbage with something else, much more tender and creamy? The dish will only benefit from such an experiment. But the classic béchamel is not suitable here, because the taste of tomato paste, which is not there, is very suitable for cabbage rolls, because it perfectly harmonizes with the meat stuffing. But if you add tomatoes in the classic recipe, you will get another interesting version of the popular French sauce. Ingredients:
- Butter - 50 grams
- Sunflower oil - 2 tablespoons
- wheat flour - 2 tablespoons
- milk - 750 milliliters
- Ripe tomatoes - 2 pieces
- salt - to taste
- white pepper powder - to taste
Cooking method: In a deep frying pan set on a weak fire, melt the butter and combine it with the sunflower. Add the flour, pouring it gradually in small portions and stirring thoroughly. Gradually introduce milk, it is better to pour it in a thin trickle. As a result of your actions, a homogeneous liquid mixture should be obtained. While the milk is still not warm enough, add pepper and salt it. Add the seasoned béchamel to a boil and simmer for another 8 minutes. 8. Observe the consistency and, once the sauce becomes thick, remove it from the fire, avoiding sticking. While the dish gets cold a bit, start cooking tomato puree. But first remove the tomato peel, dip the vegetables for a few seconds in boiling water. Cut each tomato into 4 parts and remove all the seeds. Now grate the pieces of tomatoes on the smallest grater. In a separate container, put several spoons of sauce and 2 spoons of homemade tomato puree. Thoroughly mix everything and add to the remaining béchamel. That's all, the French sauce with tomatoes is ready. Its color will seem to you a little more pronounced, and the taste will acquire new interesting notes. Be sure to try to make such a béchamel, it will serve as an excellent addition to dishes from meat and cabbage. 
Béchamel with egg yolks
This recipe for sauce differs from others in the presence ofan additional component - egg yolks. If you plan to bake vegetables, fish or meat and use béchamel for this purpose, it is better to cook it exactly as indicated below. It is the addition of egg yolks that allows you to get an appetizing ruddy crust, which always decorates any dish baked in the oven. Ingredients:
- eggs (yolks) - 2 pieces
- Butter - 75 grams
- wheat flour - 2 tablespoons
- milk - 750 milliliters
- salt - to taste
- white pepper powder - to taste
Cooking method: In a deep medium-diameter frying pan, melt the butter. Fire make the weak, otherwise it will begin to burn. Then slowly enter the flour, stir it thoroughly, then not think how to remove lumps. When the mass acquires a uniform consistency, gradually add milk, salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil and continue to cook for 5-8 minutes, without stopping stirring. When the béchamel becomes thick, remove it from the fire. Separate yolks from proteins. Do this very carefully, otherwise you risk breaking the homogeneous consistency inherent in this French sauce. The fact that egg white can curdle and turn into unappetizing flakes. Put the yolks into a deep plate and lightly whisk. Now add a few spoons of sauce to them and mix them very carefully. After reaching a mass of a homogeneous state, gradually pour it into the container, where the rest of the béchamel is located. Achieve complete homogeneity, and the sauce is ready. Since this recipe provides for the presence of yolks, pay attention to the quality of eggs used.
Spicy bechamel with capers
This recipe will certainly enjoy the culinaryexperimenters, because it combines different tastes in dishes, for example, tender milky with the sharpness of capers. Bechamel in this case acquires some piquancy, which distinguishes it from more delicate analogues. Its taste becomes very unusual and saturated by the addition of fish broth. If you want to make something original, be sure to use the recipe described below. Ingredients:
- eggs (yolks) - 2 pieces
- Butter - 50 grams
- Sunflower oil - 2 tablespoons
- milk - 375 milliliters
- wheat flour - 2 tablespoons
- fish broth - 375 milliliters
- capers - 2 tablespoons
- salt, pepper - if desired
Cooking method: As usual, you should start by choosing the right dishes. It can be a deep frying pan or a saucepan. Put it on a weak fire and melt the butter, then add the sunflower to it. Gradually start to enter the flour, trying to prevent the formation of lumps. Then slowly pour in the milk. Make sure that the mass is homogeneous. To do this, constantly stir the sauce, then speeding up, then reducing the intensity of the movements of the scapula. Lightly salt and pepper, but do not overdo it with spices, since capers added at the end are also sharp. Now add the broth and bring the future béchamel to a boil. Stir constantly, cook it for 8 minutes. As soon as the white sauce thickens, remove the sauté pan from the fire. Separate the yolks from the proteins and do it as neatly as possible. Take a deep bowl, put yolks into it and whip a bit. Now add a couple of spoons of sauce and stir well. After reaching a mass of a homogeneous state, add it to the saucepan, where the main béchamel cools. Make sure that the components are connected correctly, stirring them thoroughly. Cut capers finely and put in ready-made sauce. Serve better with fish dishes or with spaghetti and seafood.
Béchamel with onions
This recipe for French white sauce is excellentSuitable for lovers of mashed soups. He will perfectly shade their delicate taste with their exceptional delicacy. In general, beshamel, based on meat broth, is better served with dishes from pork, beef and poultry. If you used fish broth, then combine this sauce with trout, salmon, tuna and so on. But milk bechamel is great for soups, cannelloni, lasagna and spaghetti with vegetables. Ingredients:
- Butter - 4 tablespoons
- milk - 3 cups
- Wheat flour - 0.3 cups
- onion - 1 piece
- bay leaf - 1 piece
- salt, pepper - to taste
Cooking method: First, cut the onions as small as possible. Transfer it to a saucepan, add bay leaf, add milk and boil. Within 15 minutes the mixture should be infused. Then pass it through a gauze or a fine sieve. In a deep frying pan set on a weak fire, melt the butter. Constantly stirring to avoid lumps, pour in the flour. It should have a weak golden hue. As soon as this has happened, pour in a slow trickle the infused milk. Stir well, add salt and pepper. Sauce bring to a boil, with a wooden spatula, achieving uniformity and preventing burning. Then reduce the heat and cook for about 40 minutes. When the béchamel becomes thick, remove it from the heat and strain. This is a very good way to remove all the lumps, if they did appear. Another option to achieve a homogeneous state is mixing in a blender, but the structure of the sauce may be impaired.
Béchamel with Parmesan cheese
Favorite by many cheese sauce can also be consideredone of the variations on the theme "Beshamel." It is perfectly combined with flour dishes, for example, with spaghetti. Cheese adds new notes to the delicate creamy taste of white sauce and makes it more saturated. This recipe includes broth, which can be both meat and vegetable. You just have to choose the option that seems more interesting. Ingredients:
- Butter - 30 grams
- milk - 150 milliliters
- wheat flour - 1 tablespoon
- Parmesan cheese - 100 grams
- broth (vegetable or chicken) - 150 milliliters
- Salt, ground pepper - to taste
Cooking method: Take a medium-sized saucepan and melt it with 30 grams of butter. In small portions, stirring constantly, enter the flour and heat for about a minute until it becomes a little golden. Remove the frying pan from the heat. In separate saucepans, heat the milk and broth a little. Cheese finely grate. Now you can start mixing them with flour and butter. First, slowly pour in the milk, then broth. Do not forget to stir constantly with a wooden spatula or spoon. Once you have a homogeneous mass, return the sauté pan to the fire and allow the contents to boil. Cook for another 3 minutes. The sauce should gently thicken. Add the grated cheese to it, carefully stir it until it completely dissolves. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes. If the cheese béchamel is very thick, add a little hot broth or milk. In the end, you need to salt and pepper. If you want, you can add a little nutmeg. This only emphasizes the taste of a gentle sauce.
Béchamel with porcini mushrooms
French cuisine is widely used in itsnational dishes such a component as mushrooms. I must say that cooked on their basis sauces very few people can remain indifferent. Therefore, if you have some dried white mushrooms, be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to cook the fragrant béchamel on their basis. It will be very tasty and original! The recipe described below is designed for a portion for a large company, so it can decorate any festive table. Ingredients:
- milk - 1 liter
- butter - 100 grams + 1 tablespoon
- wheat flour - 100 grams
- garlic - 1 piece
- onion - 1/4 pcs.
- white dried mushrooms - handful
- Salt, ground pepper - to taste
- nutmeg - to taste
Cooking method: Dried mushrooms soak in water for 2 hours and cook until done. Finely chop the onion, chop the garlic. In a frying pan, melt a tablespoon of butter, put mushrooms and onion-garlic sliced into it. Fry everything until ready for 15 minutes over medium heat, season with salt, pepper and cool. Transfer mushrooms to a blender and chop. If you want the consistency of the future sauce to be less uniform, then it's better to use a meat grinder. Now you need to make a classic béchamel. In a deep frying pan, melt the butter and lightly fry the flour in it. Then add the milk and stir everything carefully so that there are no lumps. Season with spices to taste, bring to a boil and cook until necessary density for about 5 minutes. After add the mushroom mixture and leave on the fire for another 3 minutes. At the end, put a little nutmeg. This sauce perfectly complements dishes from rice, potatoes and pasta. In conclusion, I would like to draw attention to some of the subtleties that must be taken into account when preparing the bechamel sauce, regardless of which recipe you choose. First of all try not to overdo it with spices, because they should only shade and emphasize the creamy taste, and not interrupt it. If you plan to use béchamel for extinguishing, then its consistency is better to make it more liquid. A quick recipe, which is used by modern cooks, involves cooking the sauce after it has boiled for 5-8 minutes. In the classical version, which has lost its former popularity, another time is stipulated - not less than 40 minutes. The thing is that the flour, which heats up more than 10 minutes, acquires the taste of the familiar to many paste. But it will disappear if the white sauce continues to cook according to the classic recipe - about an hour. Therefore, if you suddenly missed the right time, do not be discouraged. Just cook the béchamel longer. How do you know if this famous French sauce was successful? As a rule, the ideal béchamel has a light cream shade, has a homogeneous structure and a medium-thick consistency resembling a liquid puree. And his taste should give real creamy pleasure. If at you all has turned out so, means, the ancient French prescription of a white sauce has opened before you all secrets and secrets.
