This milk-based, roux-thickened sauce is so basic and has so many tasty and useful variations that it cannot be left out of this book. Here is essentially the same recipe that is given in the first Vegetarian Epicure, with a few additional comments and a sampler of variations.
• 3 Tbs. butter
• ½ medium-sized onion, minced
• 3 Tbs. flour
• 2½ cups hot milk
• several peppercorns
• large pinch of whole thyme
• 1 small bay leaf
• salt to taste
• dash of nutmeg
1. Melt the butter either in the top of a large double boiler or in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed enameled saucepan. (If you are not using a double boiler, keep a very sharp eye on the flame and on the sauce to avoid scorching.) Add the minced onions and cook it over low heat, stirring frequently, until it are soft but not brown.
2. Stir in the flour and continue cooking what is now a roux for a few minutes more, stirring often. Add the hot milk, beating it in with a whisk, until the sauce is perfectly smooth and is beginning to thicken.
3. Add a few peppercorns, a good pinch of whole thyme, a tiny bay leaf, a little salt, and a little nutmeg. Cook the sauce over very gentle heat, stirring often, for at least 10 to 15 minutes or for as long as 1 hour. The longer the cooking time, of course, the thicker and stronger the flavor of the sauce.
4. Strain the sauce through a sieve and dot it with small shavings of butter, which will melt and keep a skin from forming on top. Voilà—you have about 2½ to 3 cups of basic Bechamel, and now you can spoon it over eggs, omelets, vegetables, croquettes, or pasta; or, you can put it aside for a while, then gently reheat it, stirring it up with a whisk; or, you can even refrigerate it for a day or two in a tightly covered container, and no harm done.
Furthermore, you can make other good sauces with it, such as these variations:
• rich béchamel
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 egg yolks
• hot Béchamel Sauce
• salt to taste
• ½ tsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbs. butter (optional)
1. Beat together the cream and the egg yolks in a bowl and gradually beat in about 1 cup of the hot Béchamel Sauce. Add this mixture to the remaining béchamel sauce in the pan, beating it in with a whisk. Heat the sauce very gently, stirring constantly with a whisk, until it comes to a simmer, then continue simmering and stirring for a couple of minutes. Be sure to run a spoon around the bottom and edges of the pan occasionally to prevent lumping there.
2. Remove the pan from the heat, taste the sauce, and add more salt as needed. Stir in the lemon juice and beat lightly with the whisk again.
3. Béchamel can also be enriched with butter. To do this, simply beat in about 2 tablespoons of butter, a little at a time, just before the sauce is to be served. Butter-enriched béchamel is delicious, but this method should not be used if the sauce is going into a dish that will be gratinéed in the oven, as excessive heat will make the butter separate and float up to the top.
