This Bechamel Sauce Recipe, also known as white sauce, originated between France and Italy and is made from a white roux (butter and flour) and milk. It is one of the mother sauces of French cuisine and is used as the base for other sauces.
The Greek version, besamel (pronounced beh-sah-MEL) includes the addition of egg yolks, which gives the traditionally white sauce a light yellow color.
From Lizz: For years, I was intimidated to make Greek Besamel Sauce. I watched other family members in awe as they skillfully mastered preparing this sauce for some of my favorite dishes like moussaka, (a layered eggplant, zucchini and potato dish we look forward to sharing with you very soon) and pastitsio, (a baked pasta and meat sauce dish we look forward to sharing with you this week!)
After wanting to make these dishes for my own family, I finally got up the nerve to make the Greek Besamel Sauce on my own, and it was surprisingly not as difficult as I thought it would be. Over time, I have made adjustments to this basic sauce, before pouring it over my pastitsio, by adding one, or a variety of cheeses to it such as mizithra, kefalotyri, kasseri or asiago.
By adding cheese to the Greek Besamel Sauce you can also create a cheese sauce and add it to plain pasta for a Greek Style Macaroni and Cheese. Enjoy!
HOW TO MAKE OUR BECHAMEL SAUCE RECIPE
- Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the milk comes to a slow boil, keep it warm over very low heat.
- Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over low heat. When the butter begins to bubble, slowly add the flour and whisk until it forms a golden paste.
- Whisking constantly, begin to add the hot milk in a slow, steady stream. Continue to add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk in the salt and nutmeg. Remove from heat and cool for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to release stream.
- Once cooled, add beaten eggs and whisk until smooth.
Does the temperature of the milk matter when adding to the roux?
There are different opinions and guidance, from reputable sources, on the proper temperature of the milk being added and incorporated into the roux. We have found the smoothest and fastest sauce has been with hot milk added to hot roux added one ladle full at a time.
How do I ensure I don’t end up with a lumpy sauce?
Adding the milk to the roux all at once will result in a lumpy sauce and it will be difficult, if not impossible to work out the lumps at that point. To ensure a smooth besamel sauce, slowly add a ladle full of the warm milk at a time and whisk vigorously to loosen the roux up and remove any lumps before slowly adding the remaining milk. If once you are done whisking in the milk, and you still have some lumps, you can use an immersion blender to smooth out any remaining lumps in the besamel.
How do I know when my Besamel sauce is done?
Once all the milk has been added to the roux mixture, in addition to the vigorous and constant whisking of the sauce, it’s important to allow it to simmer long enough to achieve the optimal thickness. Continue to whisk while it is simmering. When it has the consistency of a thick sauce it is done.
Bechamel Sauce Recipe
Bechamel Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups milk
- 8 tbsp butter
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the milk comes to a slow boil, keep it warm over very low heat.
- Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over low heat. When the butter begins to bubble, slowly add the flour and whisk until it forms a golden paste.
- Whisking constantly, begin to add the hot milk in a slow, steady stream. Continue to add all the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk in the salt and nutmeg.
- Remove from heat and cool for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to release stream.
- Once cooled, add beaten eggs and whisk until smooth.
Notes
Nutrition
This was great!! Béchamel can be hit or miss but this worked like a charm. It did take a bit longer than 10 min to get to the right consistency but that could be user error.