Béchamel sauce
 Milk infusing with bay leaf, peppercorns, shallot and flat-leaf parsley prior to being added to the roux | |
| Alternative names | White sauce |
|---|---|
| Type | butter |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Main ingredients | butter, flour, milk |
| Variations | Mornay sauce |
Béchamel sauce (/bɛʃəˈmɛl/ or /beɪʃəˈmɛl/;[1] Template:Lang-fr [beʃaˈmɛl]), also known as white sauce, is made from a white roux (butter and flour) and milk. It is, since the seventeenth century and on,[2][3] one of the mother sauces of French cuisine.[4] It is used as the base for other sauces (such as Mornay sauce, which is Béchamel with cheese).[5]
Origin
Béchamel was a financier who held the honorary post of chief steward to King Louis XIV. The sauce first appeared in some Italian cooking books of the Renaissance, but was introduced under its familiar name in Le Cuisinier François, published in 1651 by François Pierre La Varenne (1615–1678), chef de cuisine to Nicolas Chalon du Blé, marquis d'Uxelles. The foundation of French cuisine, the Cuisinier François ran through some thirty editions in seventy-five years.
The sauce originally was a veal velouté with a large amount of cream added.[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Béchamel definition". Merriam-Webster.
- ^ François Marin, Les Dons de Comus, ou les Délices de la table, préface par les PP. Pierre Brumoy et G. H. Bougeant, Paris : Prault Fils, 1739, pp. 103 et seq.
- ^ M.C.D. Chef de Cuisine de M. le Prince de *** [i.e. Briand], Dictionnaire des alimens, vins et liqueurs, leurs qualités, leurs effets... avec la manière de les apprêter ancienne et moderne..., Paris : Gissey, 1750, 576 p., p. 34 et seq.
- ^ Michael Ruhlman, The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen, New York : Scribner, 2007, p. 171.
- ^ Delmy Dauenhauer, 10 Ways to Use Béchamel Sauce, London : SamEnrico, 2015, ISBN 9781505738384.
- ^ Larousse Gastronomique.
External links
- History and legends of Béchamel sauce
- Free Culinary School Video Episode 11 An educational podcast episode that talks about the classical French technique used for making Sauce Béchamel and a few secondary sauces including Mornay, Basic Cream, Cheddar Cheese and Mustard Sauce.
- . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.