Bechamel Sauce

Recipe courtesy Mario Batali

Show: Molto MarioEpisode: Basic Pasta Sauces

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (17)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(17)

Cook Time:
20 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
3 cups

Times:

Prep: 5 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 20 min
Total:: 25 min

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Ingredients

5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Bechamel Sauce
Laura New York, NY 11-21-2009
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Good, but better with tweaking!
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I followed the recipe as instructed but found that it came out too watery and milk-tasting. I would suggest cutting the milk... in half for smaller recipe needs, or doubling the butter and flour amounts if you're going to use the 4 cups of milk. Read more
recipe Bechamel Sauce
Julie Redondo Beach, CA 11-09-2009
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easy, perfect
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Easy, perfect white sauce everytime. Thank you
recipe Bechamel Sauce
David Victoria, TX 09-25-2009
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Croque Madame with Bechamel Sauce
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Recipe delicious with your Bechamel sauce. I would reduce both salt and nutmeg by half. OK, this was bread with slices of... ham and cheese cooked as a sandwich in a sandwich maker or Geo. Foreman grill, topped with a fried egg and covered with Bechamel sauce. --For you guys: This takes SOS to a new height!Read more
recipe Bechamel Sauce
Keith Phoenix, AZ 09-23-2009
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Great Sauce
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

The sauce came out perfect as is... nice & creamy & thick. Maybe folks didn't cook it for the entire 10 minutes. It got... thicker as it cooked. The only negative thing was I thought it was a bit too salty. Next time I'd just ad one teaspoon. Thanks Mario... You're te BEST!! Keith, Phoenix, AZRead more
recipe Bechamel Sauce
maria Astoria, NY 09-15-2009
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Pastichio R Us!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Wow! just made this sauce for my pastichio! Everyone loved it as it was really creamy, but the only thing I changed was... 6Tablespoons of flour so that it was really nice and thick. Thank you Mario your the Best!Read more
recipe Bechamel Sauce
Chuck Winter Springs, FL 09-02-2009
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Wonderful - Basically a butter-based white gravy
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

The person holding the spoon/whisk has to control how much liquid to add. Don't follow the recipe down the the exact... measurements. Melt about 4 Tbspn butter and stir in about the same amount of flour. The same goes with the milk. Don't add all the milk/cream at the same time. Add it until you get the right thickness and then just a little more because it WILL thicken a bit. This recipe can be used for many differnt types of gravy. Try it for sausage gravy after you take the sausage out of the pan. The steps are the same. The sausage drippings replace the butter. My Grandmother has been making gravy like this for her whole life. Oh! - Throw in some parmesan, frozen shrimps and scallops to this recipe. combine with Alton Brown's blender crepes and you have a terrific Fruits De Mer (fruits of the sea)Read more