Besciamella is also known as béchamel in French or white sauce in English. Italian books states it was created by Italian chefs in the 14th century and served for the very first time in France to Catherine de Medici (the Italian-born Queen of France). Marquis Louis de Béchamel, a 17th century financier is also said to have invented Béchamel Sauce. There are no historical records, however, to verify that he was a gourmet or a cook. Anyway, an Italian chef who is a dear friend of mine, kindly gave me the recipe below.
Classic Besciamella
Ingredients
- 500 g of milk
- 50 g of butter
- 50 g of flour
- fine sea salt, white pepper and ground nutmeg
Heat a medium sauce pan up until is hot. Turn off the heat, add the butter and let it melt. Gradually add the flour while constantly stirring with a wooden spoon until you have a light golden roux (roux is a mix of flour and butter). Gradually add the milk in a thin stream while constantly stirring the roux. Bring the sauce pan back to heat and, while still stirring, cook until mixture thickens. It may take about 5-6 minutes. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. The reason why I use white pepper is because besciamella is a white sauce, and dark pepper spots don’t look good in it. Remove the besciamella from the heat, transfer to a ceramic or glass bowl, cover wrap plastic film, and let it cool down. Keep in the fridge.
Note: For a more delicate flavor – particularly when you will pour the besciamella over steamed vegetables, I usually infuse the milk with bay leaf, white peppercorns, shallot, and parsley prior to being added to the roux.