Béchamel—basic white sauce—like the other four “mother” sauces of cooking is rarely consumed in its original state. Adding different herbs, spices, and other ingredients let you create numerous options for adding a little pizzazz to what may be otherwise rather blah basic food storage dishes.
The béchamel usually begins with equal amounts of butter (or other fat) and flour, though half the amount of cornstarch may be used in place of the flour. These are combined in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Then the salt is stirred in. Finally, the milk (or cream) is added in gradually and stirred until very smooth. That’s it in a nutshell, and it’s really very simple. Just follow the recipe. Just remember, almost no one eats this basic white sauce as is—follow the options below to create something a little more memorable.
Thin Béchamel
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Medium Béchamel
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Thick Béchamel
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
For all consistencies, melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour and salt. Add the milk gradually and whisk until smooth.
Cheese Sauce. (For the creamiest sauce, begin with evaporated milk or cream.) To the above recipe add ½-1 cup shredded cheese, and then one or more of the following:
· Dash cayenne, paprika, or Worcestershire
· ¼- ½ teaspoon dry mustard, onion, or garlic
Serve over pasta, steamed vegetables, or baked potatoes. Or pour over sliced potatoes with 2 tablespoons chopped onion, and bake 1 hour at 350°F to make scalloped potatoes. Add ¼ cup chopped ham or bacon, if desired.
For nachos, instead of the above spices, add a can of chopped green chilies or jalapenos.
Herbs. Any herbs or spices that sound good.
· Curry Sauce. Add ½ teaspoon curry (add with the flour)
· Dill Sauce. Add 2 tablespoons fresh minced dill
· Horseradish sauce. Add 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish and ½ teaspoon prepared mustard to béchamel. Serve with beef.
Meat. Add ½ cup meat to the sauce. Serve over biscuits, potatoes, rice, noodles, or toast. Or add ¼ cup diced cooked chicken, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, and ¼ teaspoon rubbed sage to yield cream of chicken soup.
Sausage gravy. Cook 2 ounces of sausage in a skillet until browned. Add the white sauce ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil to thicken it. Serve over biscuits, noodles, potatoes, rice, or toast.
Vegetables. Saute ¼ cup chopped mushrooms, celery, or onions in butter before stirring in the flour, salt, and milk. Use as a substitute for cream of mushroom and other soups.
Creole sauce. Saute ¼ cup minced onion, green pepper, and celery in butter before adding flour and salt. Use tomato juice in place of the milk.
Cheesy-tomato sauce. Use ½ cup tomato juice in place of ½ cup of the milk.
Pudding. Add 1/4 cup sugar to the thick sauce recipe to sweeten. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and other flavorings as desired.
All of the above sauces can be made using long-term food storage items—use powdered milk in place of fresh milk and coconut oil (or other fats) in place of the butter. Being able to create a wide array of sauces with basic food storage ingredients will dramatically increase the variety of dishes we can serve to our family members and go a long way towards preventing food fatigue.
Links to related posts:
Using Coconut Oil in Place of Butter
1 december 2023
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