Definition

Noun: A classic white sauce made by thickening milk with a cooked mixture of butter and flour (a roux). It is one of the five "mother sauces" in French cuisine, known for its smooth, creamy texture and neutral flavor base.

Usage

"Bechamel sauce" is used as a singular noun. It is typically an uncountable noun referring to the sauce as a substance, but it can be countable when referring to types or specific preparations. - It serves as a base for many other sauces (e.g., cheese sauce, mornay). - It is used in dishes like lasagna, moussaka, and croque monsieur.

Examples

• The recipe for the lasagna begins with making a bechamel sauce.
• She poured the smooth bechamel sauce over the cooked vegetables.
• A good bechamel should have no lumps.
• This version uses a lighter bechamel.

Advanced Usage

• "To mount a bechamel": A culinary technique where cold butter is whisked into the finished, hot sauce just before serving to add extra shine and richness.
• "Napped with bechamel": Describes a dish lightly coated with the sauce.

Variants and Related Words

• Bechamel (n): The common shortened form of "bechamel sauce."
  • The chef prepared a bechamel for the gratin.
• White sauce (n): A more general, often less formal, term for a sauce made with a milk and roux base, similar to bechamel.
• Roux (n): The cooked mixture of equal parts fat (usually butter) and flour used to thicken bechamel and other sauces.

Synonyms

• White sauce: The closest common synonym, though it may imply slight variations in technique or ingredient ratios.

Related Phrases/Idioms

No common idioms or phrasal verbs are directly associated with this specific culinary term.

Noun

1. milk thickened with a butter and flour roux