Is my pekin bantam male or female?

[bluekarin]

I was thinking wouldn't be good if you could get a powdered form of it, like stock cubes, that you could add to milk and roux that would make the flavour. Its just sometimes we really fancy something, say like lasagne, but I don't have enough time to infuse the milk. I know you can buy packets of the sauce mix, but it would be nice to just to add a teaspoon of powdered bechamel flavour (made from the real flavours and not artificial rubbish).

 

Unless of course you can already get this? I've had a look on the old tinternetweb and not found anything.

[chickencam]

I sometimes cheat when I make lasagna, the white sauces in jars in the pasta sauce ranges are ok for this, but it has to be real bechamel for anything else.

[bluekarin]

I've not tried those. I tend to only buy curry sauce in a jar.

[majorbloodnock]

Well, given you can get/make dried onion granules (which could be ground into a very fine powder) and clove oil, and grating nutmeg makes it very fine already, I'd be surprised if a bit of experimentation couldn't come up with a proportion of these that, being very fine, would impart the flavour to the milk in the time it takes to heat it up. Then all you'd need to do is drain it and use.

 

As I say, though, experimentation would be needed. What a drag, eh; have to make and taste lots of lasagnes

[bluekarin]

As I say, though, experimentation would be needed. What a drag, eh; have to make and taste lots of lasagnes

 

I just don't know how we'd cope I might have a go and make my own powdered bechamel sauce powder as like you say, you can get the essential flavours of it in some sort of powder or dried form already, just need to make it very fine. I shall post my findings when I do them.

[Snowy]

OK you have me puzzled now! How do you make real bechamel sauce? I just make a cheese sauce for lasagne with ground black pepper and grated nutmeg. I thought that was real Bechemel

[bluekarin]

you infuse milk (with some onion, a carrot, bay leaf some pepper. I add nutmeg as well sometimes celery) for about an hour. Then I make a roux (flour and butter) and add the strained milk. When I do lasagne I only put grated cheese on the top. Mainly as I can't eat too much cheese sauce and also some of recipes I've read don't say to put the cheese in the sauce.

[majorbloodnock]

OK you have me puzzled now! How do you make real bechamel sauce? I just make a cheese sauce for lasagne with ground black pepper and grated nutmeg. I thought that was real Bechemel

 

Strictly speaking, Snowy, that's a Mornay sauce.

 

If you want to be really finnicky about it, a basic white sauce (hot milk thickened by a roux) is unfinished. If the milk has been infused as per BlueKarin's instructions before making up the sauce, the result is a Bechamel sauce which, in classic French cuisine is known as one of the "mother" sauces. It can then be used as it is or as the basis for various other well known sauces.

 

For instance, Bechamel sauce plus cheese becomes a Mornay sauce. Bechamel plus softened chopped onion becomes a Soubise sauce. Bechamel plus chopped parsley becomes (surprise, surprise) Parsley sauce. Bechamel made with lobster butter instead of fresh butter becomes Sauce Cardinal. And so the list goes on.

[chickencam]

I only use a basic bechamel for lasagna topping then sprinkle it with cheese.

 

I tend to make a basic white sauce most of the time but will infuse the milk if I am cooking something special, it takes the flavour up a level and makes you feel pampered.

[bronze]

OK you have me puzzled now! How do you make real bechamel sauce? I just make a cheese sauce for lasagne with ground black pepper and grated nutmeg. I thought that was real Bechemel

 

 

Dont worry Im like you I either make the easy version of bechemel or add a bit of cheese for mornay. In most things I don't notice the difference. In lasagne etc there are a lot of other flavours so just do a basic bechemella.

 

The original bechemel sauce was the simple version. It was only when some other French poncy voice of authority came along it changed.

[majorbloodnock]

OK you have me puzzled now! How do you make real bechamel sauce? I just make a cheese sauce for lasagne with ground black pepper and grated nutmeg. I thought that was real Bechemel

 

...The original bechemel sauce was the simple version. It was only when some other French poncy voice of authority came along it changed.

 

Escoffier, and yes, I believe he was a bit full of his own importance.

[Snowy]

Wow, thanks for the cookery lesson!

I do like lots of cheese in my lasagne, and like to do it speedily, but I might just try the proper version one day - now I know it exists

[Blackrocksrock]

Do you think putting some milk and bay leaf into ice cube trays would do the trick and using one everytime we made lasagne white sauce!!. I tend to do the plain mornay sauce too

[bronze]

dont

 

If anyone questions it say in a highbrow kind of voice. Oh I prefer much purer cooking. We use the recipe pre Escoffier as it is more authentic.#

 

Or something along those lines

[Sheilaz]

dont

 

If anyone questions it say in a highbrow kind of voice. Oh I prefer much purer cooking. We use the recipe pre Escoffier as it is more authentic.#

 

Or something along those lines

 

I shall try & remember that one.

All my life I've just made basic white sauce (all in one method, not even Roux) and then thrown in extras, eg. black pepper, cheese.

 

I didn't even know about infusing milk...

[Snowy]

Phew! Glad it's not just me!

Would love to use that quote Bron - sadly most of the people that I am likely to make lasagne for think I'm clever because I don't use a jar of Dolmio

[Olly]

 

ditto! I've always just called it a 'roux' sauce, so I was glad you asked the question Snowy! It's the first thing I ever learned to cook, mum taught me when I was about 8 or 9 and I never weigh or measure ingredients, I just chuck in what looks to be the right amount.

 

I like the 'pre-Escoffier' idea though.