White sauce
- Published: 13 Apr 18
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Learning how to make a white (béchamel) sauce, or roux, is a key component of any chef’s repetoire. Once you’ve mastered this recipe, you can use it in anything from fish pie and lasagne to macaroni cheese.
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Makes 1.3 litres
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Hands-on time 20 min
Ingredients
- 100g unsalted butter
- 100g plain flour
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- 1.3 litres whole milk
- Grated nutmeg (optional)
Method
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a gentle heat, then use a wooden spoon to beat in the plain flour and the mustard to make a paste (called a roux). Gently cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and slowly add the milk, whisking well (this is easiest with a balloon whisk). Once you’ve added all the milk, you should have a thin, lump-free, milky sauce.
- Turn the heat to medium and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and there’s no floury taste. Season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg (if you like). Set half aside to use in the recipe opposite and freeze the rest.
- Recipe from March 2018 Issue
Nutrition
Per 100g
- Calories
- 130kcals
- Fat
- 8.7g (5.5g saturated)
- Protein
- 4.2g
- Carbohydrates
- 10.4g (4.5g sugars)
- Fibre
- 0.3g
- Salt
- 0.1g
delicious. tips
White sauce (also called béchamel) is the basis of cheese sauce. Stir in grated cheese of your choice at the end until melted and use to make macaroni cheese, gratins, cauliflower cheese and more. Search for recipes at deliciousmagazine.co.uk.
Learn how to make an all-in-one white sauce below…
Prepare the sauce up to 48 hours in advance, pour into a sealable container and lay a piece of cling film directly on the surface to stop a skin forming. Chill until needed, then gently warm through in a pan or in a microwave. Alternatively freeze the sauce in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
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[…] the cooked pasta, vegetables and white sauce (here’s a recipe from delicious magazine) into an oven dish. Stir a cup of grated cheese into the white sauce for a creamier […]