Pasta often is served with a creamy white sauce.
A , or Bechamel, is one of the classic French "mother sauces," which are the basic sauces that must be mastered by anyone who cooks French cuisine. It was invented by Louis de Bechamel, steward to King Louis XIV. While it might take a few tries to create a perfect Bechamel, once it is mastered, it can be modified to create an array of other sauces, such as Mornay sauce and mustard sauce, making it a recipe well worth learning. Bechamel sauce can be tossed with pasta, served with fish or meat, poured over vegetables or used as a pizza sauce.
Instructions
1. Heat the milk, onion and bay leaf in the medium pot over low heat until simmering, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and discard the onion and bay leaf. Set the pot of milk aside.
2. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium the butter melts.
3. Add flour 1 tbsp. at a time to the saucepan, whisking until smooth after each addition. Stir constantly, cooking until the mixture turns golden but not brown.
4. Add the heated milk from step 1, a cup at a time, whisking constantly. Once all the milk is added, continue stirring and bring to a boil.
5. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
6. Lower the heat, and continue cooking and stirring until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 10 minutes more.
7. the heat. Use immediately, or cool and cover with wax paper or plastic wrap directly in contact with the surface and refrigerate.
Tags: creamy white sauce, from heat, heat until, onion leaf, Remove from