How to make a great béchamel sauce

Béchamel, also known as white sauce, is a mix of butter, flour and milk, but let's jazz it up for more flavour. Start with 1 liter of milk and add some coarsely chopped brown onion, fresh parsley stalks, black peppercorns, cloves, and a couple of bay leaves. Let these simmer together to get a really rich base. Then, in another pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter and mix in ⅓ cup of plain flour to make a roux. Slowly add your flavored milk, whisking to keep it smooth. Finally, stir in a cup of grated parmesan cheese and a pinch of nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. This version of béchamel adds a beautiful depth of flavor to your mac and cheese, lasagna, and cheese souffle, making them even more delicious!

How to make béchamel sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 L (4 cups) milk
1 brown onion, halved, coarsely chopped
8 fresh parsley stalks
8 whole black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp butter
⅓ cup (50 g) plain flour
1 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
Pinch ground nutmeg, salt & pepper, to taste

METHOD

Combine the milk, onion, parsley stalks, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes to infuse. Strain the milk mixture through a fine sieve into a large jug. Discard solids.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until flour and butter form a paste or roux. Stir continuously for 1-2 minutes. The colour should change to a straw colour with no unmixed flour. Cook until it smells nutty and fragrant, like shortbread.
Add half of the milk mixture, whisking continuously. Whisk until thick, don’t worry if it appears lumpy. Add the rest of the milk, whisking continuously. The sauce should become smooth.
Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow the sauce to boil for at least 5 minutes, stirring with a spoon. This step is important or your sauce will be thin and taste floury. Your sauce should be glossy and smooth and coat the back of the spoon.
Season with salt and pepper and stir in parmesan.

Recipes with béchamel

GET THE RECIPE: Italian Pasta Bake by Perfect Italiano

This easy pasta bake is deliciously creamy thanks to plenty of bechamel sauce.

GET THE RECIPE: Classic Beef Lasagne by Perfect Italiano

Cheese, bolognese, béchamel and pasta, you can't go wrong with this classic lasagne recipe. If you're taking the time to make it, it's worth making a double batch and freeze the other for later.

GET THE RECIPE: Baked Mac and Cheese by Perfect Italiano

Making the best béchamel recipe above will give you elevated mac 'n' cheese for the ultimate comfort food.