France

Béchamel Sauce (Louisiannaise)

Sauce béchamel is one of the basic sauces of French Cuisine.

4 servings · Easy

Béchamel Sauce (Louisiannaise)

Despite the name, the Louisiannaise version is not the milk-and-butter béchamel of France. In Louisiana it is the pale base the Creole kitchen starts from, built with flour, butter, onion and a great deal of black pepper until it smells nutty rather than milky. It sits quietly under crawfish and shrimp dishes, and it goes in early enough to toast the roux without scorching it. The pepper is meant to be smelled before it is tasted.

Ingredients

  • milk1 cup
  • ea. onion or 2 garlic cloves0.3
  • bay leaf1
  • butter1.5 tbsp
  • flour1.5 tbsp
  • SaltTo taste
  • PepperTo taste

Directions

  1. 1

    Warm the milk, then add the onion and bay leaf. Steep for 15 minutes.

  2. 2

    Melt the butter in a saucepan.

  3. 3

    Whisk in the flour, and cook on medium to medium-high heat to make a roux.

  4. 4

    Gradually whisk in the milk.

  5. 5

    Cook, stirring constantly, until thick.

  6. 6

    Season with salt and pepper.

Source: Wikibooks Cookbook (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0; English normalized and Chinese translation added by WorldBite.