* Exported from MasterCook * Bechamel Sauce Recipe By : From book "The Sauce Bible" ISBN 0-471-57228-4, 1993 Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 small spanish onion -- peeled 1 nutmeg -- small piece 6 cloves -- whole 1 bay leaf 3 tablespoons unsalted butter -- clarified 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups hot milk salt and white pepper to taste Make a cut into the onion, about 1 inch deep, and slide the bay leaf into this slit. Stick the cloves into the onion, and place it, along with the milk and nutmeg, into a heavy-gauge, non-corrosive saucepan. Place this over medium heat. In a separate pan, cook the butter and flour for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously, without browning, until it emits a nutty aroma. Remove from the fire. When the milk is fairly hot, pour some into the cooled down roux, stirring until the milk is thoroughly blended in. Return this to the remaining milk, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt and white pepper, strain, and set aside until ready to use. Bechamel has a tendency to form a skin on top, in part because of its exposure to the air. To prevent this, take a piece of butter, impaled on a fork, and dab it on top of the sauce. This will leave a thin coating of butter on the top of the sauce which prevents a skin from forming. Bechamel is typically served with hard-boiled eggs (served hot); as a binder and vehicle for grating; poached fish (served hot); and light meat. TRADITIONAL DERIVATIVES OF BECHAMEL SAUCE Aurora Sauce (Sauce Aurore) cream sauce blended with tomato puree. Aurora sauce is typically served with poached, soft-boiled, and hard-boiled eggs (served hot). Avignon Sauce (Sauce Avignonaise) Cream sauce flavored with garlic, seasoned with grated Parmesan cheese, finished with an egg yolk liaison, and garnished with chopped parsley. Brantome Sauce Cream sauce flavored with a reduction of shallot, white wine, and oyster liqueur, mounted with crayfish butter, seasoned with cayenne pepper, and garnished with grated truffle. Bread Sauce (Sauce au Pain a l'Anglaise) Milk heated with an onion cut in half, simmered with grated fresh bread crumbs, onion removed, seasoned with salt, cayenne, and nutmeg, finished with cream, and mounted with butter. Cardinal Sauce (Sauce Cardinale) Cream sauce flavored with fish stock and truffle essence, sea-soned with cayenne pepper, and mounted with lobster butter. Cardinal sauce is typically served with shellfish, though it can also be served with other braised or baked fish. The name is derived from the connection between the bright red robes of a church cardinal and the bright red color of crab, crayfish, lobster, and shrimp shells when cooked. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -