Bechamel

Brocoli with slightly gratined bechamel sauce in the oven.

One of the applications of this salsa is gratined with pasta or vegetables.

The bechamel (pronounced [be.tʃaˈmɛl]< /span> or [ be.ʃaˈmɛl ]) or besciamella (in Italian), besamel, besamela or white sauce is a sauce, rather thick, whose origin is attributed to the French and Italian cuisine.

It is made by adding milk to a white roux (a flour fried in a fat that is usually butter or margarine). This sauce has become popular for its use in making gratin dishes containing pasta or vegetables, alone or with meat or fish, both in professional and amateur kitchens. Today it is so popular that it can be found packaged (generally in tetrabrick) and ready to be used in the refrigerated area of food stores. The recipe for this sauce has not changed substantially over the years, although the number of ingredients that can be added to enrich its flavor has been increasing. Béchamel sauce is a "mother sauce", the base of many other sauces.

Features

The use of milk has the purpose, on the one hand, of extinguishing the taste of the raw flour and, on the other hand, of diluting and cooking the mixture.

Although the preparation technique is the same, béchamel differs from velouté sauce or clear sauce, in that the latter is not made with dairy liquids, but is made up of a clear roux and a broth or stock.

The beginning of the preparation of the sauce is the preparation of a white roux, that is to say a mixture of a heated fatty substance (especially butter) to which flour is added. From there, the amount of dairy (milk) will depend on the final texture you want to give yourself. Milk (or more generally dairy) has to be added in sufficient quantity for the mixture to cook. One of the concerns of every cook when faced with the preparation of a béchamel is the unwanted formation of lumps (agglomerations) of flour during the last phases. To avoid this, it is essential that the cooking process be carried out over low heat, pouring in the milk little by little and stirring as it binds with the flour. It must be understood that the more milk is poured during its preparation, the more diluted the texture of the final sauce will be.

The lipid used is generally butter or margarine, although in Spain and other southern European countries olive oil is often used; the flour is usually wheat, although corn flour is not unknown in Latin America either.. Although it is not essential, it is common to season it with nutmeg, ground pepper and eventually with aromatic cloves.

For its preparation, it must be taken into account that the roux must be mixed with dairy products in a proportion of 35 g per liter of dairy products. When it is prepared, the fatty substance is heated (oil, butter, margarine, fat, etc.) and add the flour, stirring until it begins to form bubbles but without turning brown. To carry out this operation, an appropriate container must be used in which it is appropriate not to stop stirring with a wooden spoon to avoid the formation of possible lumps. It is advisable to pour the flour out of the fire source, to avoid the appearance of lumps, just like when dairy products are poured. A whisk can be used to facilitate the operation.

History

One theory states that bechamel was born in Florence (Italy) by the Florentine cooks of Catherine de' Medici and later brought the recipe to France when she married Henry II of France in 1533. The first The well-known recipe, although it was quite different from the current béchamel, was first described in the cookbook entitled Le Cuisinier Français, published in 1651 by the chef François Pierre de La Varenne (1615-1678)., Chef to Nicolas Chalon du Blé, Marquis de Uxelles (1615-1678). The invention of this sauce is attributed to the French cook of the Duke Louis de Béchameil (1630-1703). The reliable recipe for its preparation has been changing over the last hundred years. Recipes from several centuries ago since the 18th century mentioned its use as a base sauce to make a Mornay sauce. In some, cheeses of the roquefort, stilton, gorgonzola, fourme d'Ambert, Bleu d'Auvergne, etc. type were used.

Uses

Depending on the use it is going to be given, it can be made more or less thick. If it is going to be used for croquettes, it is done in such a way that it solidifies, with which the name of sauce would be questionable. However, when used to cover cannelloni, lasagna or for creamed spinach, it tends to become lighter and more fluid.

Béchamel is used to thicken the cooking juices of stews and roasts and thus turn them into creamy sauces. It also allows you to give a smooth and creamy finish to soups called "creams", such as cream of mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, etc. In the kitchen of Zaragoza and La Rioja (Spain) it is a traditional custom to accompany with cooked thistles in the Christmas kitchen.

Variants

The many possible variations of the béchamel sauce allow you to incorporate cheeses, as in the Mornay sauce. You can also add finely chopped ingredients such as sautéed onion or all kinds of meat, vegetables or fish, such as when preparing croquettes, stuffed with peppers or to make the famous French soufflé. Some of the variations are famous, such as the Villeroy sauce, which is used in batters for some dishes such as Villeroy chicken. When mustard and white wine are added, the Thermidor sauce is obtained, used in the preparation of fish or shellfish (Thermidor lobster).

Another possible variation is to make it, for example, with soy milk, and it is then suitable for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. It also lends itself to being flavored with all kinds of spices such as curry or nutmeg. Likewise, corn starch can be used instead of wheat flour, then suitable for people intolerant to gluten (such as celiacs)..