white sauce

Also known as béchamel sauce, this is a classic sauce, which is essential to many recipes, notably Lasagne.

Ingredients:
3 oz. Butter
3 oz. Plain Flour
A bunch of Milk (say about a half-pint)

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.
2. Gradually stir or whisk in the flour.
3. Cook for a minute or two, to cook off the floury taste (thanks to heyoka for this essential step).
4. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming.
5. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens slightly. It should be of a thickness to coat the spoon.
6. Remove from the heat, and season to taste with salt, black pepper and nutmeg.

This sauce is the basis of many others, including the classic Sauce Mornay, which is made simply by melting cheese into the finished sauce.