*  Exported from  MasterCook  *
 
                               Bechamel Sauce
 
 Recipe By     : From book “The Sauce Bible” ISBN 0-471-57228-4, 1993
 Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
    1      small         spanish onion -- peeled
    1                    nutmeg -- , small piece
    6                    cloves -- , whole
    1                    bay leaf
    3      tablespoons   unsalted butter -- clarified
    3      tablespoons   all-purpose flour
    2      cups          hot milk
                         salt and white pepper to taste
 
 Make a cut into the onion, about 1 inch deep, and slide the bay leaf into
 this slit. Stick the cloves into the onion, and place it, along with the
 milk and nutmeg, into a heavy-gauge, non-corrosive saucepan. Place this
 over medium heat.
 
 In a separate pan, cook the butter and flour for about 5 minutes, stirring
 continuously, without browning, until it emits a nutty aroma. Remove from
 the fire.
 
 When the milk is fairly hot, pour some into the cooled down roux, stirring
 until the milk is thoroughly blended in. Return this to the remaining milk,
 and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt
 and white pepper, strain, and set aside until ready to use.
 
 Bechamel has a tendency to form a skin on top, in part because of its
 exposure to the air. To prevent this, take a piece of butter, impaled on a
 fork, and dab it on top of the sauce. This will leave a thin coating of
 butter on the top of the sauce which prevents a skin from forming.
 
 Bechamel is typically served with hard-boiled eggs (served hot); as a
 binder and vehicle for grating; poached fish (served hot); and light meat.
 
 TRADITIONAL DERIVATIVES OF BECHAMEL SAUCE
 
 Aurora Sauce (Sauce Aurore) cream sauce blended with tomato puree. Aurora
 sauce is typically served with poached, soft-boiled, and hard-boiled eggs
 (served hot).
 
 Avignon Sauce (Sauce Avignonaise)
 
 Cream sauce flavored with garlic, seasoned with grated Parmesan cheese,
 finished with an egg yolk liaison, and garnished with chopped parsley.
 
 Brantome Sauce
 
 Cream sauce flavored with a reduction of shallot, white wine, and oyster
 liqueur, mounted with crayfish butter, seasoned with cayenne pepper, and
 garnished with grated truffle.
 
 Bread Sauce (Sauce au Pain a l'Anglaise)
 
 Milk heated with an onion cut in half, simmered with grated fresh bread
 crumbs, onion removed, seasoned with salt, cayenne, and nutmeg, finished
 with cream, and mounted with butter.
 
 Cardinal Sauce (Sauce Cardinale) Cream sauce flavored with fish stock and
 truffle essence, sea-soned with cayenne pepper, and mounted with lobster
 butter.
 
 Cardinal sauce is typically served with shellfish, though it can also be
 served with other braised or baked fish. The name is derived from the
 connection between the bright red robes of a church cardinal and the bright
 red color of crab, crayfish, lobster, and shrimp shells when cooked.
 
 
 
 
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