White sauce
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Easy
- Makes about 500ml
Every home cook needs a good béchamel sauce in their repertoire – our step-by-step guide shows how to make a roux and get rid of lumps
Ingredients
- 500ml whole milk
- 1 onion, halved
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves
- 50g butter
- 50g plain flour
Method
- STEP 1
Gently bring 500ml whole milk to the boil in a small saucepan with 1 halved onion, studded with 1 bay leaf and 2 cloves. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 mins.
- STEP 2
Melt 50g butter in another saucepan, then add 50g plain flour. Stir continuously until a paste forms – this is called a roux. Continue cooking for 2 mins.
- STEP 3
Remove the onion, bay and cloves from the milk with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the infused milk to the roux gradually, stirring as you go, until you get a smooth sauce. Cook for 5-10 mins, stirring continuously, until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste.
