How to make béchamel sauce

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Total Time15

Ingredients

100 g 4 oz butter
50 g 2 oz flour
1 liter 1 quart milk
Salt
Nutmeg

Instructions

Step 1: Melt a stick of butter (100g, 4 oz.) in a saucepan, then add six spoonfuls (50g, 2 oz.) of flour and simmer the resulting roux over medium low heat for a few minutes, taking care not to allow the roux to darken, and remove from the heat.
Step 2: In a separate saucepan, bring a liter (one quart) of milk just barely to a boil.
Step 3: Immediately pour the milk into the pan with the roux. Taking a whisk, whip the roux and milk together vigorously, then put the saucepan back on the heat and bring it up to the boil. It will thicken considerably when it gets to the boiling point.
Step 4: As soon as the sauce begins to boil, lower the heat to low and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, seasoning well with salt and a bit of nutmeg to taste.

Notes

Alternative method:

Skip Step 2 and as for Step 3, add cold milk, not all at once, but in a thin stream, as you whisk the roux vigorously. This, in fact, is the method you will find specified in most Italian recipe books. While it is less trouble, you do need a fair degree of skill (and a strong arm) to avoid lumps.

The Easy Method using Wondra Flour:

Whisk the flour into a milk and bring to a simmer. Add a knob of butter if desired and let it melt into the sauce.