Bechamel sauce - white sauces - Parsley, Mornay, Onion, Mushroom, Curry, et al

Parsley sauce — a variation of bechamel sauce © kvalifood.com

Bechamel sauce is a classic. One of Auguste Escoffier’s “great” sauces. It is the simplest of the great sauces to make. In Denmark it is simply known as white sauce, but it is essentially the same thing. It is a basic recipe that can be used for everything from pasta to fish, and as a base for other sauces. It is also used as a base for onion sauce, cheese sauce (mornay), cream sauce, mushroom sauce, curry sauce (indienne), tomato sauce (aurore) and oyster sauce.

Ingredients

  • ½ l milk
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 3 tbsp butter (or oil) (50 g)
  • 1/4–1/3 grated nutmeg
  • salt, to taste
  • white pepper, to taste

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr-k-xD-0Hw

Directions

Melt the butter in a saucepan.

Stir the flour into the butter.

Let it bubble and simmer for about a minute. The flour should not take on any colour.

Slowly add the milk while stirring.

Bring to a boil and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Stir well so all lumps dissolve and the sauce thickens.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Notes

Stirring the flour into the butter prevents it from lumping in the milk. It also gets rid of the worst raw-flour taste.

Bechamel can be used as a base for a number of other sauces. That is exactly why it is one of the “Big 5”.

Parsley Sauce

Ingredients

  • ½ litre bechamel
  • 1 bunch parsley

Directions

Chop the parsley finely, add it and cook for a couple of minutes.

1 bunch parsley, chopped © kvalifood.com

Onion Sauce (soubise)

Ingredients

  • ½ litre bechamel
  • 2 tbsp butter (30 g)
  • 4 onions

Directions

Melt the butter in a saucepan.

Chop the onions.

Let them simmer for 15–20 minutes with the lid on until translucent and soft.

Pour the bechamel over and either blend with a stick blender, or press through a sieve.

Bring to a boil again.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Onion sauce ingredients © kvalifood.com

Cheese Sauce (mornay)

Ingredients

  • ½ litre bechamel
  • 2 egg yolks or ½ egg (can be omitted)
  • 1 dl finely grated hard cheese, e.g. gruyère, pecorino or parmesan
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard (can be omitted)

Directions

Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the cheese and mustard.

Whisk in the egg.

Do not reheat — the egg will split and the cheese will go stringy.

If it is too thick, add a little warm milk.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Mornay sauce ingredients © kvalifood.com

Cream Sauce

Ingredients

  • ½ litre bechamel
  • 1 dl cream or crème fraîche

Directions

Pour in the cream and simmer while stirring until creamy.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

  • ½ litre bechamel
  • 120 g mushrooms (or other mushrooms)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (about ½ lemon)

Directions

Cover the bottom of a saucepan with as little water as possible. Bring to a boil.

Slice the mushrooms thinly and add them to the pan.

Add the lemon juice.

Steam/cook covered for 4–5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. Stir occasionally.

Add the bechamel sauce and bring to a boil. If it is too thin, let it cook down a little while stirring.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Curry Sauce (indienne)

Ingredients

  • ½ litre bechamel
  • 1 onion
  • 2 tbsp butter or oil (30 g)
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 peeled, deseeded, chopped tomato (or 3 tbsp tomato purée)

Directions

Chop the onion finely.

Melt the butter.

Fry the onion in the butter until translucent.

Add the curry and tomato. Fry for 2–3 minutes.

Add the bechamel sauce.

Reduce by 1/3.

Blend or sieve.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Tomato Sauce (aurore)

Ingredients

  • ½ litre bechamel
  • 5 tbsp tomato purée (3/4 dl)

Directions

Stir the tomato purée into the bechamel sauce.

Bring to a boil.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Oyster Sauce (Escoffier)

Ingredients

  • ½ litre bechamel
  • 4 oysters
  • 4 egg yolks
  • cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

Remove the oysters from the shell. Reserve the liquid.

Boil for about a minute.

Chop into pieces.

Mix 5 tbsp (3/4 dl) oyster liquor and the egg yolks together.

Pour the egg and oyster liquor into the sauce. Warm over low heat until it starts to thicken. Do not let it boil.

Remove from the heat and add the oysters.

Taste and adjust seasoning.