Roux Paying Attention?
There is just something about cheesy puns I will never get tired of.
(This is one possible origin story) Birthed in the beloved region of Toscana Italy, came one of my favorite sauces. It wasn’t until the chefs of Catherina de Medici brought it over to France in 1533. From there it wasn’t given the name it has today, until Vincent La Chapelle published his book, The Modern Cook, in 1733. The cream sauce that became one of the 5 mother sauces in French cuisine.
From this simple base you can make a very wide assortment of dishes by just adding to it. Most Americans only know of Alfredo sauce, a variant of this fabulous invention.
So, what is it called?
Bechemel. Named after Louis de Béchameil. He was the chief steward to Louis XIV, the king of France back in the 17th century.
The recipe?
Bechemel
5 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups milk
In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and mix to combine the two ingredients.
After a few minutes, the flour and the butter thus mixed form a roux which begins to color. Do not wait for the mixture to scorch.
Remove from the heat as soon as the preparation reaches a golden color, then let cool.
While the roux cools down, bring the milk to a boil in a non-stick pan.
Pour the milk over the roux, and whisk vigorously to prevent the formation of lumps.
When the hot milk is completely poured over the roux, place the pan back on a low heat.
Mix continuously with a whisk, until reaching a thicker consistency. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
Season with salt and pepper and add the freshly grated nutmeg.
(This version is modernized from the original of course. Using fresh made cream from a cow, and rendered fat probably would not be easy to come by if you don’t live on a farm.)
From here it’s creativity roulette on what you want to add…
Soubise
Butter & Caramelized Onions
Mornay
Onion, Cloves, Gruyère cheese & Parmesan
Nantua
Shrimp, Butter & Heavy Cream
etc…
What would you add?
Hhmmm, now I want to eat some Pastitsio.
