béchamel sauce
[ bay-shah-MEHL; BEH-shah-mehl ]
Also called by its Italian name, balsamella, this basic French white sauce is made by stirring milk into a butter-flour
ROUX. The thickness of the sauce depends on the proportion of flour and butter to milk. The proportions for a thin sauce would be 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour per 1 cup of milk; a medium sauce would use 2 tablespoons each of butter and flour; a thick sauce, 3 tablespoons each. Béchamel, the base of many other sauces, was named after its inventor, Louis XIV's steward Louis de Béchamel.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S
COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
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