Description and preparation of exquisite French sauce, nutritional value and chemical composition. Benefits and harms when consumed, recipes for dishes with bechamel and history of origin.
Béchamel sauce is a basic food product that is made from roux flour and milk fried in oil, and many other dishes are made on its basis. The color is creamy, the consistency is homogeneous, buttery, thick, the taste when made according to the classic recipe is creamy, delicate, although some describe the béchamel sauce as "liquid semolina". The seasoning was invented by French chefs.
How is béchamel sauce made?
Sauce recipes are constantly being experimented with, but the main ingredients of the composition are butter, milk, wheat flour, nutmeg and salt. The seasoning is called "white", although its color is rather creamy.
To prepare classic béchamel sauce, heat up 700 ml of milk, melt butter in an amount of 50 g in a saucepan. 50 g of well-sifted wheat flour of the highest grade are poured. The contents of the container are stirred vigorously to prevent the formation of lumps. Thanks to the tea leaves, it is possible to get rid of the unpleasant flour aftertaste. Hot milk is added little by little, with tablespoons. Leave on low heat until the sauce acquires the consistency of liquid sour cream, stir. They are filtered to prevent foreign inclusions. Salted and add grated nutmeg - 0.5 tsp, cook for another 2 minutes.
To increase the nutritional value of classic bechamel milk and cream can be used together, and to enhance the taste - increase the amount of seasonings. A small onion is cleaned, whole buds of dried cloves are inserted into it. 300 ml of milk is boiled together with 2 bay leaves and an onion is lowered into a saucepan. The hot milk is filtered to remove extraneous ingredients. The dishes are washed and wiped dry, 60 g of butter is melted, flour is added - a third of a glass, boiled, as in the previous recipe. Warm milk is poured in a little, then cream - 300 ml (no need to heat). Cook, stirring constantly, until the bechamel thickens. Salt, pepper and ground nutmeg are added.
Bechamel with egg
ideal for pouring pizza or lasagna. The cooking recipe differs from those already described. 1 tbsp. l. wheat flour is fried in 50 g of butter (if you need to reduce the nutritional value, use a creamy spread) in a deep frying pan. When the color of the flour turns golden, pour in 280 ml of meat broth, cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, drive in 2 egg yolks, grind through a sieve, boil again for 1-2 minutes, salt, pepper, add grated nutmeg. To enhance the taste, it is recommended to add pickled cucumber pulp puree.
Bechamel with cheese
- an ideal seasoning for meat dishes. Fry 1, 5 tbsp. l. flour for 50 g of butter until golden brown, add a handful of onion slices, pour in 1 glass of milk, let it boil and remove from heat. They are filtering. 1 tbsp is poured into the milk mixture. l. meat broth, heated to the first bubbles and add 3 tbsp. l. grated fast-melting hard cheese. Cook for 10 minutes so that it completely dissolves, and the sauce begins to thicken. The main spices are salt and nutmeg, the rest can be added to your own taste. Let it brew under the lid for at least 10 minutes.
Composition and calorie content of béchamel sauce
The nutritional value of the seasoning made according to the classic recipe is low. To further reduce its nutritional value, meat broth is replaced with vegetable broth, cheese - low-calorie, and butter - spread.
The calorie content of béchamel sauce is 90 kcal, of which:
- Proteins - 1.9 g;
- Fat - 5.7 g;
- Carbohydrates - 7.6 g;
- Dietary fiber - 0.7 g;
- Water - 78 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin A - 44.8 mcg;
- Beta Carotene - 0.019 mg;
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.021 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.036 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 5.31 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.03 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.021 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folate - 2.819 mcg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 0.33 mg;
- Vitamin D, calciferol - 0.033 mcg;
- Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 0.297 mg;
- Vitamin H, biotin - 0.199 mcg;
- Vitamin K, phylloquinone - 2 μg;
- Vitamin PP - 0.4559 mg.
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Potassium, K - 48.71 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 37.32 mg;
- Silicon, Si - 0.398 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 6.94 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 473.59 mg;
- Sulfur, S - 16.69 mg;
- Phosphorus, Ph - 26.4 mg;
- Chlorine, Cl - 716.25 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Boron, B - 3.7 μg;
- Vanadium, V - 8.96 μg;
- Iron, Fe - 0.547 mg;
- Iodine, I - 0.15 mcg;
- Cobalt, Co - 0.339 μg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0.1279 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 27.03 μg;
- Molybdenum, Mo - 2.56 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 0.635 μg;
- Fluorine, F - 62.36 μg;
- Chromium, Cr - 0.22 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 0.094 mg.
Cholesterol per 100 g - 22.3 mg.
The béchamel sauce contains a high amount of the following elements:
- Choline - protects the myelin layer from destruction, which protects the cells of nerve fibers from damage.
- Phylloquinone - normalizes blood clotting and accelerates the absorption of calcium.
- Folate - stimulates the production of serotonin and stabilizes nerve impulse conduction.
- Sodium - normalizes water and electrolyte balance, retains fluid in the body.
- Chlorine - increases the synthesis of hydrochloric acid, improving food digestion.
- Potassium - stabilizes the kidneys and cardiovascular system.
- Phosphorus - distributes energy throughout the body, improves the condition of tooth enamel.
- Iron - without this substance, the production of red blood cells is impossible.
- Zinc - has an antioxidant effect and improves hearing.
- Copper - supports the synthesis of prostaglandins and normalizes blood pressure.
Béchamel sauce fits well into the diet of people who need to control their own weight, and patients recovering from various diseases.
Useful properties of béchamel sauce
Since the seasoning contains only natural products, it can be included in dietary meals. This helps to diversify the meager menu of people with a history of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys.
Benefits of béchamel sauce:
- Improves the condition of skin, hair and teeth.
- Normalizes the immune status and hormones.
- It has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the brain and memory functions, and increases efficiency.
- Replenishes milk protein reserves by saturating the body with calcium.
- It has a weak antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effect.
- Stabilizes the nervous system, prevents the development of depression. This property of any tasty product - when consumed, it stimulates the pleasure center and increases the production of serotonin.
The flour in the sauce contains dietary fiber, which has a beneficial effect on the vital activity of the flora that colonizes the small intestine and is responsible for the absorption of nutrients.
Thanks to lauric acid, which does not decompose during the heat treatment of butter, harmful fungi that enter the human body along with food are suppressed.
Contraindications and harm of bechamel
Do not treat yourself to milk sauce if you are intolerant to casein (milk protein) or lactase deficiency. Serious manifestations of allergic reactions were not observed, but intestinal disorders appeared.
Regular use of béchamel sauce can harm elderly patients suffering from atherosclerosis, obese people, with liver and cholelithiasis, and biliary dyskinesia.
The benefits and harms of bechamel directly depend on the composition. When flour of the highest grade acts as an ingredient, it is not excluded that substances that improve its quality - preservatives and flavoring additives - enter the body. If you used onions or hot spices, you should be careful to introduce into the diet of patients with high acidity, cheese - a contraindication is an allergy to thermophilic cultures.
Note! There are no contraindications to the use of a product made according to a classic recipe.
Bechamel sauce recipes
Seasoning is used to season lasagna and meat dishes, and other popular gourmet sauces are prepared on its basis. Consider the popular recipes with béchamel sauce:
- Morne sauce … 12 Art. l. Bechamel, cooked according to the classic recipe, is poured into a saucepan, heated over low heat, 100 ml of not very heavy cream is introduced - no more than 25%. In 2 eggs, the whites and yolks are separated. Beat the yolks, slowly pour 60 ml of cream into the whitened mass. Connect with 2-3 tbsp. l. hot sauce, make sure that the yolks do not curl, pour into a saucepan. It is heated over low heat so that it does not boil, but steam goes and the liquid thickens. Rub 60 g each of cheddar and parmesan, pour into a saucepan and stir until the cheese dissolves. Served warm with seafood or vegetable dishes, used for baking.
- Nantua sauce (nantua) … To the classic white sauce (600 g) add 80-90 ml of cream, leave on low heat to evaporate excess liquid. The meat of one large crab is divided into 2 parts. One part is interrupted in a blender with 30 g of butter, and the second is divided into fibers. Everything is lowered into a gravy boat, mixed.
- Subiz sauce … Chop finely onions (2 pcs.). In a saucepan, heat up butter - 80 g, fry the slices, pour in cream of 20% fat - 80 ml. As soon as the first bubbles appear, indicating boiling, remove the stewpan from the heat. Heat the second saucepan with béchamel sauce (200 g). Pour cream with fried onions into it, add 1 tbsp. l. sugar and 1/3 teaspoon of salt. Before serving, the sauce must be filtered. Served with poultry.
- Meat with sauce … This recipe describes how to cook pork, but cook chicken the same way. 250 g of meat and 125 g of ham are cut into small cubes, 2 carrots are grated, chopped in 2 pieces. onions, garlic teeth, shallots. Fry all the ingredients in butter, season with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, add flour - 1 tbsp. l., mix everything. Pour the béchamel sauce, so that it reaches the surface of the mixture in a pan, leave for 45 minutes. When cooking chicken, it is enough to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Fish with sauce … Trout or salmon fillets are divided in portions and poured with white wine and water, mixed in a 3: 1 ratio. Cook for 10 minutes until tender, pepper and salt. Spread on a baking sheet, sprinkle with grated cheese and pour over bechamel sauce, bake for 3 minutes at 180 ° C. There is no need to wait for the cheese to set in a crust, just enough for it to melt.
Interesting facts about bechamel sauce
There are several versions of the appearance of the seasoning, which has won truly worldwide popularity. The most famous one attributes the invention of the recipe for this sauce to the Majordomo Béchamel, a marquis who, thanks to his knowledge of history and art, was brought closer to the court of Louis XIV. The courtier was not a cook, but he had an interesting hobby - he adored culinary experiments. At his dinner parties, multicolored treats were served to the table, reminiscent of the design of a mosaic picture. The king of France had an excellent appetite, if he were not of royal blood, he could even be called a glutton. Bechamel, who by that time had already changed his surname to a more noble one, de Nointel, knew how to please his ruler. One of his finds turned out to be a sauce, for which meat juice and shallots were used as the main ingredients.
Another version says that Pierre de La Varennes, the culinary specialist of the Marquis of Yuxel, was the first to figure out how to prepare the béchamel sauce. But then the seasoning was nameless, and the name was received after the improvement by a noble nobleman. He was forced to take up a culinary experiment: there was fish on the plate that was not prepared for the presentation. To decorate the dish, a simple seasoning was improved.
According to the following legend, the sauce was invented by Italian chefs, and the recipe was brought to France by the chefs of Catherine Medici. And then the name of the dish was "Balsamella". The Marquis only managed to serve the dish with this seasoning to the King in time, which earned him not only temporary recognition, but also a place in history. The third version is supported by the records of that time made by de Cara. He wrote that Bechamel is lucky. The sauce was served for 20 years with chicken fillet stew, and as soon as it was served with fish, it immediately got its name in honor of the experimenter.
Later, thanks to the flourishing of the art of cooking, many varieties of bechamel appeared. It was supplemented with various seasonings, mixed with herbs and spices. And only the first haute cuisine chef Marie-Antoine Karem eliminated unnecessary inclusions, replaced meat juice with cream or fat milk and created a dish that has survived to this day.
How to make béchamel sauce - watch the video:
At home, bechamel sauce can be prepared by every housewife, even not very skilled. Time will have to be spent no more than 20 minutes, a minimum of ingredients is required - milk, flour, butter and salt. You can experiment endlessly: instead of butter, use a spread, add herbs or cheese. However, it is necessary not to tell, but to cook. And don't try to replace the French seasoning with regular mayonnaise. These products are similar only in color - the taste is different.
