A good béchamel sauce is a wonder.  It’s used in lasagne, croque monsieur, Moussaka, all manner of pies and of course mornay of any kind.  So next time you make some, make more – it freezes really well, and although once defrosted it looks like sludge from the bottom of a creek, a good stir will re-incorporate the split milk and you are good to go.

For this recipe, you will need a saucepan, jug, strainer or sieve, wooden or silicone spoon, a whisk, a nutmeg grater or zester, and a gazillion containers to freeze for later use.

Ingredients

½ cup of milk

½ cup of pure cream

1 garlic clove crushed or finely sliced

2 bay leaves

1 small onion diced

20g butter

20g plain flour

1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard

fresh nutmeg

Pepper

 

Method

Place the milk, cream, garlic, bay leaves, pepper and onion in a small pan over medium heat and stir together. Let this heat until near boiling, then turn it off or remove it and leave it to infuse for 10 minutes.  Once infused strain through the sieve or strainer into the jug – discard the bay leaves, milky solids and onion.

Clean the saucepan and put back on the heat. Add the butter, once melted add flour and stir continuously.  We want the flour to cook and take on a slight golden colour – it should smell like shortbread biscuits – not flour. Once the flour is cooked, slowly add the milk mixture whisking all the time, and slowly bring to an almost boil – add the Dijon mustard and a good grate of nutmeg. 

Your Béchamel sauce should be thick and creamy with a delicious deep nutty flavour. Perfect for your next creamy creation.