I've had some trouble stomaching my béchamel for a while. It's felt a lot like eating uncooked flour. The way I've learned to do it is it add flour to frothing butter, and then incorporate the milk at the end.
Well, according to Jacques Pépin's
Techniques this is incorrect. You're meant to:
- Mix softened butter and flour, in a bowl, into a smooth paste.
- Bring milk to a boil, and whisk in the paste into the milk.
- Bring to boil, cook at low heat for 4-5 minutes while stirring.
- Season.
For a thin sauce, use 2 tsp flour, 2 tsp butter per cup of milk. For a thicker sauce, use 3 tbsp each of flour and butter.
3 comments:
Yeh. My step one is the same as the above.
I do the mixing in a pot.
Then I heat up the pot and slowly add the milk while stiring in the flour/butter mix which is already in the pot.
Stir until smooth while adding all the milk.
This mix will seem like as you say, "Uncooked flour" until it actually does cook and the thickening process is complete, all the while stiring to keep it smooth.
It shouldn't taste raw.
heya
just make sure once the flour is added that it gets some cooking time before you add the milk. Bechamel sauce is no harder than adding half a scrunched bay leaf to a cheese sauce.
C Word
Thanks for the tips, guys.
I think, yes, I do tend to panic and add milk too early. Will try cooking longer next time.
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