Bechamel sauce liquid what to do. Bechamel Sauce Secrets

Bechamel Sauce Secrets

famous sauce bechamel is a masterpiece of French cuisine, its refined taste complements many dishes, making them even tastier and more tender. WITH bechamel sauce recipes and recipes using it you will find in the article

Bechamel is in the top five base sauces french cuisine, also called "maternal" or "great". These are veloute, espagnole, hollandaise, bechamel and tomato sauces. It is not in vain that base sauces got such a name, because all the sauces of French cuisine are prepared on their basis, and there are more than 3 thousand of them.

Sauce "Bechamel" traces its "pedigree" from Louis Bechamel, majordomo of the French king Louis XIV. But it is unlikely that this aristocrat invented the famous sauce on his own. Most likely, he hastened to give his name to the brainchild of one of the royal chefs. And for good reason: the simple combination of butter and flour mixture with cream has become a real sensation in French cooking. What is special about it?
The basis of bechamel sauce is rublon (roux) and milk (in original version- cream). Rublon, or in other words, roux (from the French "roux", meaning "red") is a mixture of butter and flour, fried until golden brown.
Of the dairy component, only milk or cream is suitable for making the sauce. If you replace them, for example, with sour cream or another fermented milk product, then when heated, they can curl up and the sauce will be spoiled. When choosing cream for making the sauce, you need to keep in mind that they cannot be overheated, otherwise they will lose their uniform structure. And in order to return the mixture to its original state, you will have to add various liquids to the sauce. For example, broths: vegetable, fish, meat. Therefore, often, when using cream in a sauce, cooks simultaneously introduce broth into it. However, the most perfect option for the preparation of this sauce - milk with a fat content of 2.5%.
Flour and butter for making roux are taken in equal quantities, and the dose of milk is determined depending on what consistency they want to get the sauce: liquid, medium density or thick.
To give light sauce flavor milk is pre-flavored. To do this, spices are placed in cold milk, after which it is gradually heated and infused. The choice of spices is quite wide. These are roots (onion, parsley or dill root), spices(thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram), spices (garlic, onion, pepper). At the same time, it is better to put herbs and small spices in a clothes bag - so it will be easier to remove them from milk later. With roots and pieces of vegetables it is easier - after the milk is infused, you just need to strain it.
After flavoring, milk can be used for its intended purpose. It is introduced into the butter-flour mixture gradually - if you add all the milk at once, the flour will float to the surface and lumps will form in the sauce. Once the sauce has reached the desired thickness, remove it from the heat. That's it - the sauce is ready!
Bechamel sauce goes well with dairy veal, pork, poultry, white fish, potatoes, celery and cauliflower. However, when combining vegetables and sauce, you need to remember that bechamel is still a sauce, not a dressing: during the heat treatment process, it does not evaporate and is not absorbed into the food, but remains on top.

And finally, the main secrets of Bechamel sauce:

During sautéing, the flour should acquire a golden hue. Do not overcook it - this will give the sauce an unpleasant aftertaste and ruin it. appearance.
Pour the milk into the roux gradually, in a thin stream, so that no lumps form in it.
If the formation of lumps could not be avoided, strain the sauce after cooking.
Stir the sauce only with a wooden spoon: metal utensils can pry off the burnt crust from the bottom of the dish and fried, dense particles will fall into the consistency of the sauce.
Do not put spices in boiling milk: only gradual heating brings out their aromatic qualities to the fullest.
It is better to lightly fry onions and vegetables in a dry frying pan before putting them in milk - this will give them a richer taste.
If bechamel is planned to be served with fish, vegetables can be left unfried - the fish prefers a more delicate flavor.
It is better not to use lemon juice to flavor the sauce, as the acidic environment contributes to curdling of milk. Lemon juice completely replace the zest.
Do not overdo it with spices - they should only set off, and not interrupt the main, creamy flavor of the sauce.
For stewing, it is better to make a sauce with a more liquid consistency.
Meat and fish are not put into the sauce raw, but are first brought to half-cooked.
As soon as characteristic bubbles appear on the surface of the sauce, it is ready.
To prevent the sauce (as well as the roux) from burning, you need to cook it on low heat.
Bechamel is served hot, as a thin film forms on the cold sauce, which spoils its appearance. To eliminate it, the sauce must again be poured into the pan, add a little milk, heat and mix well.
The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
The ideal bechamel is light cream in color, has a smooth texture and a medium-thick consistency similar to that of a runny puree. Such a sauce flows off a spoon in a uniform stream, and does not fall out of it in a single piece.

Sauce "Bechamel"
Milk 2.5% - 100 ml
Flour - 50 g
Butter - 50 g
Spices - to taste
Soften the butter first and rub the flour into it. Pour mixture into hot skillet and fry over low heat until golden brown. . Add spices to the milk, heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes over low heat. After that, we take out the spices, and pour the milk in a thin stream into the butter-flour mixture. Stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a medium thickness and remove from heat.

Bechamel sauce (microwave)
Butter - 60 ml
Flour - 60 g
Milk - 750 ml
Nutmeg (grated) - to taste
Black pepper (ground) - to taste
Salt - to taste
Melt the butter in the microwave at 100% power for 1-2 minutes; add flour to it and heat at the same power for 1 minute. Add milk, stirring vigorously. Boil the sauce for 5-6 minutes, uncovered, at full power, stirring occasionally. Salt, pepper and add nutmeg. We filter.

Bolognese Lasagna
Veal - 300 g
Onion - 150 g
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Carrots - 50 g
Vegetable oil - 75 g
Cream - 50 g
Tomatoes "Pilati" - 50 g
Pasta - 100 g
Parmesan cheese - 20 g
Sauce "Bechamel" - 50 g
Tomato juice - 200 g
Flour - 3 g
Butter - 3 tbsp.
Grind the veal in a meat grinder and fry in vegetable oil. Finely chop the onion (50 g), sauté and add to the meat. Cut the carrot into small cubes and also put it on the meat. Add cream, chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. In boiling salted water with vegetable oil lower the pasta and boil until tender. Then we throw the pasta into a colander and let the excess water drain. Put a layer of pasta in the form, put a layer of minced meat on it. Sprinkle portions of lasagna with grated cheese and bake until it turns golden.
For the sauce, finely chop the onion (100 g) and fry it in butter (2 tablespoons). Add to it tomato juice, salt and pepper. Pass the flour in butter (1 tablespoon) and put in the sauce. Bring it to a boil and simmer over low heat until it thickens. Then we cool the sauce, add Bechamel to it and beat in a blender. Ready lasagna pour sauce over and serve.

Pancakes "Omonier"
Boiled tongue - 50 g
Bacon - 25 g
Ham - 30 g
Butter - 15 g
Onion - 10 g
Gherkins - 15 g
Mushroom sauce - 50 ml
Sauce "Bechamel" - 40 ml
Flour - 3 tbsp.
Eggs - 1 pc.
Milk - 200 ml
Vegetable oil - 25 ml
green onion- 5 g
Salt - to taste
Tongue, bacon, ham, gherkins, onions cut into small cubes and lightly fry in butter, then add sauces (mushroom and bechamel) and simmer until tender. From the prepared dough (milk, egg, flour, salt, beaten until smooth), fry the pancakes and put the minced meat in them. Then we form bags from pancakes. We use green onion feathers as culinary twine.
Serve pancakes with sour cream.

The subtleties of making pancakes
If you pour a few tablespoons of fat into the pancake dough and mix well, then the pan will not need to be lubricated every time.

Sturgeon with bechamel sauce
Sturgeon - 350 g
Butter - 25 g
White wine - 30 ml
Champignons - 50 g
Pepper - to taste
Salt - to taste
Milk - 110 ml
Oil - 10 g
Flour - 10 g
Cut the fish fillet without skin and cartilage into portions, salt, sprinkle with black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes in wine and butter. Raw fresh mushrooms we wipe, let them in oil and prepare mashed potatoes. We prepare bechamel sauce from milk, butter and flour, add mushroom puree and juice in which the fish was stewed. Pour a little sauce into the pan so that the fish is completely covered with it, and bake in a very hot oven. Serve in the same dish.

Bechamel is one of the five main french sauces once again confirms to us the truth "everything ingenious is simple."

The first mention of this sauce appeared in Le Cuisinier Francois, a book published in 1651, and written by the cook of Louis the 14th François Pierre de La Farenne (1615 - 1678). This book was reprinted 30 times over the next 75 years and is credited with defining and founding French cuisine. The sauce got its name in order to flatter the nobleman of the court, the Marquis Louis de Bechamel, Marquis of Nuatel (1603-1703), once the head of the French province of Brittany. Often and unfairly, the Marquis is credited as the inventor of this sauce, while the name of a simple chef, to whom we really owe the appearance of Bechamel, has remained unknown.

They say that this sauce was born by accident. It's just that the chef decided to add a little cream to the usual thick white sauce V eloute ("velute" or "parisien"). Since then, for several centuries, Bechamel sauce has been popular all over the world. It is easy to prepare and versatile in use, as it goes equally well with hot meat, fish and vegetable dishes. In addition, it is easy to change and supplement. You can make various additives to this sauce, each time getting a new shade of taste. For example, in Holland and Belgium, they like to add ground nutmeg to Bechamel, and in France - bay leaves and very finely chopped onions. Bechamel sauce can be seasoned with low-calorie salads, or used as a dressing in the preparation of many soups and mashed soups. Bechamel is an indispensable component of Bolognese lasagna. And due to the fact that when baking, the sauce is covered with a beautiful ruddy crust, it is with it that they prepare such a dish as julienne.

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There is no single correct recipe for making Bechamel sauce. But there are indispensable components and technological rules.

First of all, it is an oil-flour base. It is she who “binds” the sauce, giving it the necessary density. This base is called “Roux” (“Les roux”), and according to the degree of roasting of flour it is divided into brown “Roux” (“Roux brun”) and light brown “Roux” ( Roux blond). Roux is characterized by the predominance of butter over flour. For 100 grams of butter - 1 tablespoon (with top) of wheat flour.

The second ingredient is the broth. The amount of broth depends on the basis on which you are preparing Bechamel. If it is thick sour cream, or thick country cream, then more broth can be used. If it's ordinary liquid cream or milk, then the broth should be as concentrated as possible, and literally added in the amount of several tablespoons.

What exactly to use as the third, milk component, cream, milk or sour cream is up to you. They are equally well suited for making bechamel.

Here are three simple recipes for making sauce with exact proportions.

Bechamel with cream (classic)

You will need:

100 grams of butter

1 heaping tablespoon of flour

3-4 tablespoons stock stock

250 grams of cream 20%

Salt - 1/3 teaspoon

Spices to taste (pepper, nutmeg)

Melt in a saucepan or frying pan with high sides over low heat. butter.

Pour in the flour and stir with a spatula so that there are no lumps left. Flour should only be slightly “dissolved” in oil, but in no case should it be overcooked.

As soon as the flour dissolves in the oil, becomes covered with foam, but has not yet changed color to light brown, pour the cold broth into the saucepan and stir.

Continuing to stir, pour in the cold cream in a thin stream.

Add salt, spices. Bring to a boil. The sauce will thicken to the right consistency almost immediately. Stir the finished Bechamel well again until smooth.

If you are not going to use the sauce right away, transfer it to any suitable container with a tight lid. Separately, melt a small piece of butter, and carefully pour a thin layer over the surface of the sauce. A layer of butter will keep the sauce from drying out and keep it for several days.

Bechamel with milk (light)

Simplified sauce recipe, no broth.

You will need:

100 grams of butter

1 tablespoon flour (heaped)

250 ml milk

1/3 teaspoon salt

Spices (for example, white ground pepper) at the tip of a knife

Melt the butter in a frying pan or saucepan over low heat, add the flour and stir well.

Heat the flour in the oil (about half a minute). Then, continuing to stir constantly, pour in cold milk in a thin stream. Salt, pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, and simmer, still stirring, for about a minute more. Until the sauce thickens.

Remove the finished sauce from the stove. If you are not going to use it right away, then pour it into a suitable dish with a lid, pour a thin layer of butter, as described in the previous recipe and store in the refrigerator.

Bechamel with sour cream (catering option)

You will need:

100 grams of butter

1 heaping tablespoon flour

1 cup (250 ml) any meat stock

Once, a long time ago, I cooked it - and got a paste that was disgusting in taste. With lumps. After this bad experience, I forgot about the existence of bechamel for many years.
However, One of the five classic base sauces of French cuisine. It is also used as a component in many European dishes and as a base for various sauces. not for nothing is one of the five basic sauces of classic French cuisine - it is used not only by itself, but also as the basis for a number of other sauces, as an integral part of dishes such as soufflé.
I had to learn how to cook it so that now it is my favorite sauce.

Bechamel sauce is quite simple in composition. There are only three obligatory components - butter, flour, milk. There are only two essential spices - salt and pepper.

And the sauce cooking technology is also simple: flour is fried in oil (and a mixture is obtained, called roux - RU), then the roux is boiled with milk, salt and pepper are added - that's all.

Why do beginners get a paste instead of a sauce with a creamy taste or lumps, due to which the sauce does not have a smooth, silky texture?

The secret, as always, is in the technology.

1. So that the bechamel has creamy taste, it is boiled either for no more than 5-7 minutes, or for at least 40-60 minutes.
Moreover, long-term cooking is classical approach, short - modern.
Why exactly this way and not otherwise?
It has been proven in practice that if you cook flour for more than 10 minutes and less than forty-hours, then the sauce will have the taste of “raw” flour, that very nasty paste taste.
During a short boil, this taste does not have time to develop, and during a long boil it disappears.

2. To avoid lumps and ensure a smooth texture, milk and roux should be at diametrically opposite temperatures.
If the roux is cold (made in advance and stored in the refrigerator), then the milk should be hot.
If the milk is hot (boiled with spices), then the roux should be cooled before mixing.
.If the roux is hot and the milk is boiling, the flour is instantaneously brewed and it is unlikely that it will be possible to avoid the appearance of lumps, in any case, it will be difficult.
If the milk is cold and the roux is cold, then the flour covered with butter will not mix with the milk, but will float in lumps. Such a sauce will need to be intensively stirred all the time while it is heating up, otherwise some of the lumps of flour will have time to boil without dissolving.
A good option is warm roux and warm milk. Inconvenience - you need to heat one, cool the other before mixing, which is not always convenient.

Recipe.

To make a roux, use equal amounts of butter and flour.

For a liquid bechamel sauce, take a ratio of 120-180 grams of roux per liter of milk, for a thick one used in soufflé - 300 grams of roux per liter of milk.

However, the simplest and most memorable recipe: 10 grams of butter -10 grams of flour - 100 ml of milk.

Except classic sauce, there is a full-fledged, more spiced version.

Classic bechamel (for 500 ml of milk)

It is best cooked in a single-handled, heavy-bottomed, non-stick saucepan.
Do not use uncoated aluminum pans - the cream turns gray in them.

The sauce begins with the preparation of the roux.

1. Put 50 g of butter in a frying pan and melt it over very low heat. The oil should never start to fry! If it is very cold, you need to cut it into small cubes, otherwise some of the butter will start to burn before all the butter has melted.
Remember - you are cooking a white sauce, the oil should not change color!

2. Pour 50 g of flour into the butter and carefully rub the mixture with a spatula. While stirring and rubbing, hold the flour on the fire until it “boils” and rises with a “cap”, and foam appears around.
Like this.

Lumps of flour - if there are any - should not confuse you at this stage.

3. Measure out 500 ml of milk. Remove the saucepan from the heat and gradually in small portions, slowly, add milk, whisking and stirring the sauce all the time. Spend 100 - 150 ml of milk on this.
4. When the sauce becomes homogeneous, add the remaining milk, return the saucepan to the fire, stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat and boil it for 5-7 minutes ( maximum) from the moment of boiling.
5. Season the sauce to taste with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Transfer the sauce to a dry container.
6. Piece cling film grease with butter, press the film firmly to the surface of the sauce.

7. If you want to keep the sauce warm, put it in a water bath.
If you want to chill, put the bowl with the sauce in a container of ice water.
Cold sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days without sacrificing quality and taste.

Bechamel with spices (for 500 ml of milk)

1. Prepare the roux (see above, the proportions are unchanged), then transfer it to a clean dish and let it cool completely.
2. Prepare a set of spices:
onion (ideally - The bulb is small, weighing 25-50 g, the color is from purple to white. Both bulbs and leaves (feathers) are eaten in raw, fried, sautéed, boiled, pickled form. Onions of sharp varieties are often used in decoctions, stews, soups, minced meat, and also added to meat, fish, vegetable dishes. Onions of sweet varieties are consumed fresh or pickled as an appetizer or side dish, in salads.)
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
a piece Nutmeg is widely used in almost any culinary dishes: in salads, homemade and industrial sausages, first courses, meat, seafood, desserts, pastries, teas, coffee. Grated nutmeg gives dishes a delicate spicy sweetish aroma and taste.
a few white peppercorns
Coarsely crush everything and put in a spice trap (preferably).

3. Pour 550 ml of milk into a saucepan, add spices and boil the milk for 15 minutes.
4. Strain the milk through a fine sieve, return it to a clean saucepan (if the milk has boiled down a lot, add fresh milk up to 500 ml), heat the milk almost to a boil (there is already a light vapor, but there are no bubbles yet), remove it from heat.
5. Add a COLD roux to the milk. And - all at once! Stir the milk with a whisk until all the roux has dissolved and the sauce is smooth.
6. Further - everything is the same as described above.

Bugs and fixes.

If the sauce is lumpy, strain it through a fine sieve or puree in a blender.
If the sauce is too thick, add milk, stir the sauce and heat again.
If the sauce turned out to be too liquid, then there are two ways to correct the situation: reduce the sauce or add a small amount of butter pounded with flour (flour:butter 1: 1) to the sauce, and then boil the sauce for a couple of minutes after boiling.

What sauce to cook?

If bechamel comes as an integral part of another dish or as a binding additive - and unless otherwise specified in the recipe -
then classic bechamel is used.

If you like spices and use bechamel as a sauce that gives an extra touch to a dish that is neutral in taste, cook bechamel with spices.

In the language of cooking, sauces are adjectives that enrich, decorate, and enhance the taste of other foods. Sauces moisturize (olive sauce on bread), add sourness ( tomato sauce on pasta) and enrich (creamy sorrel sauce) the taste of dishes. Knowing even a few sauce recipes (like the classic béchamel sauce) will add sophistication and a deeper dimension to your dishes. It is the sauce that distinguishes a dish prepared by a chef from the work of an ordinary cook.

Bechamel sauce

If a thick sauce hardens and forms a film on it, then it was not cooked correctly. Properly prepared thick sauces have a silky smooth texture, and they need to cook for at least 25 minutes. Bechamel sauce is indispensable in the preparation of lasagna, soufflé and casseroles.

Sauce base: The sauce is thick due to the combination of flour and fats. Usually butter and milk are used as fats, but you can also make a sauce based on vegetable oil and vegetable broth.

Sauce without lumps: For a lump-free sauce, add warm liquid to warm flour and fat mixture, or cold liquid to cold flour and fat mixture, and then stir quickly with a wooden spoon. When preparing the sauce in a double boiler, it must be stirred periodically.

Seasonings: You can add to the prepared sauce vegetable puree, fried garlic, tomato sauce, fresh herbs, curry and grated cheese.

Ingredients:

• 2 glasses of milk
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs of parsley
• 3½ tablespoons butter
• 3½ tablespoons flour
• salt and ground white pepper
• ground nutmeg

Cooking

1) In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, lightly heat the milk with the onion, bay leaf and parsley. It is not necessary to bring to a boil. Then take the pan off the stove and let it sit for 15 minutes.

2) In another pan, melt the butter, add the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Then quickly pour the milk through a sieve and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens.

3) After that, reduce the heat and cook for another 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt, pepper, add nutmeg to taste. If you won't be using the sauce right away, be sure to cover the sauce bowl with cling film.

Bechamel sauce with herbs: In the prepared sauce, add ½ cup of finely chopped herbs: onion, thyme, tarragon or parsley.
High-calorie bechamel sauce: Add ½ cup of cream to the prepared sauce.

Bechamel sauce for vegans: Replace butter with vegetable oil, and cow's milk – soy milk or vegetable broth. Cheese sauce Bechamel: Add ½ cup to the prepared sauce grated cheese Cheddar or Gruer or Swiss cheese, a pinch of cayenne pepper and 2-3 teaspoons of Dijon mustard. Serve this sauce with broccoli, cauliflower, or kale.

Bechamel is rightfully one of the the most delicate sauces classic french cuisine. Without it, many dishes will lose their uniqueness and sophistication. Therefore, every housewife should be able to cook such a sauce.

When I lived in Libya, and Libya is known as a former colony of Italy, for the first time I tried not a sauce, but a Bechamel cream. And I realized that in this version it is much tastier in the dish itself. Let's figure it out now.

The cream, like the sauce itself, consists of three main components: milk, butter and flour. Of the spices are required: salt, nutmeg and black pepper.

Flour in the Arabic version is not fried in oil, as in the classics, but in a dry frying pan for just a couple of minutes, and then butter is added to it. And this mixture is called "roux" (roux).

The butter is not allowed to melt and cold milk is immediately poured in and stirred vigorously to avoid lumps.

The sauce is prepared quickly, without overcooking on fire. Salt and add spices at the end to taste.

There is a rule: so that the sauce does not taste like raw flour, namely creamy, do not keep it on fire for more than 5 minutes.

Please note that earlier classic version sauce "Bechamel" was strikingly different in time. It was boiled for about an hour and indeed during this time the flour lost its "raw" taste.

The modern approach suggests that with a short (5-6 minutes) holding of the cream on the fire, the "pasteless raw" taste of flour does not have time to appear.

Thick cream "Bechamel" in a pan turned out to be homogeneous, smooth, and most importantly very tasty.

What to do to avoid lumps.

The main rule is "Ru" and the poured milk should be of different (opposite) temperatures. That is, milk poured into hot flour with butter should be cold, from the refrigerator. Thus, the flour will not have time to boil into lumps and you will have enough time to break them.

An example of a delicious pasta dish with bechamel cream

crazy delicious combination baked cream "Bechamel" with cheese! Try to cook the pasta first and lay it out in a layer. Then cover with prepared stuffing. Put the bechamel cream on the stuffing and sprinkle with cheese. After baking, you will have an incredibly tasty dish!

Or do like me. Put a vegetable sauté on a layer of rice (I have eggplant, bell pepper, tomatoes and onions), on it - cream and sprinkle with cheese.

Please note that I did not add ground black pepper and nutmeg to the cream itself. I wanted to keep it plain white. But I sprinkled a layer of cream with spices before I laid the cheese.

Bake in the oven at high temperature (250 degrees).

And here's a dish thick cream"Bechamel" you will succeed.

What to do, if:

1. It was not possible to avoid lumps in the cream.

Whip it up with a blender.

2. The cream is too thick.

Just add more milk and bring to a boil while stirring.

3. The cream turned out thinner than expected.