Technique: Roux, Bechamel and Mornay
How to make a Roux
Want to thicken a sauce? One way to do that is to use a roux. Which takes a minute to make. Here’s how:
White Roux: Cooks for one minute
If you read about the exploding Kinder Eggs on Day 5 of the Chef Stage (and I thank you if you did) then you’ll know a cheese sauce begins with a roux. The white roux is the base for the white sauces, so let’s begin there.
Here’s how
Heat 30g of oil or butter, over a low heat.
Add 30g of plain flour.
Stir into a paste
Allow to bubble for one minute.
That’s it - you have a white roux.
Keep in Mind
Keep the heat gentle.
Use the spatula to smooth out the lumps.
How to make a Béchamel
A béchamel is made by adding milk (you can infuse it with bay, onion and mace) to a white roux and heating it until it thickens. Here’s how:
Béchamel: The mother of white sauces.
Béchamel is used to make Spanish croquetas or a French croque monsieur. Grab a whisk and prepare your bicep for a workout, this will take ten minutes of stirring and whisking.
Here’s how
Make a roux (see above).
Add 500ml of cold milk, but not all in one go. First of all add a splash and using the spatula work it into a paste.
Continue to add the milk like this slowly, until you have a loose, smooth paste. Now add the rest of the milk.
Bring to the boil, whisking continuously.
Then gently simmer for 10 minutes until thick, stirring frequently.
Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg.
Keep in Mind
If the roux is hot, add cold milk. If the roux is cold, add hot milk.
Really work out the lumps at the beginning with the back of a spatula.
If the béchamel is lumpy at the end, you can pass it through a sieve.
To create a thinner bechamel use 10g flour and 10g fat, with 500ml milk.
How to make a Mornay (Cheese) Sauce
Add different ingredients to a béchamel to create a variety of delicious daughter sauces. Add cream and tomato coulis to make an Aurora Sauce. Add thinly sliced onion to create a Soubise Sauce. Or, add cream, egg yolks and cheese to make a Mornay Sauce.
Mornay: A daughter sauce.
Mornay is used to make cauliflower cheese, or coat poached eggs, or fill Kinder Eggs (say what? yes it’s true: read this.)
Here’s how
Make a béchamel (see above).
Whisk 3 egg yolks and 50ml of cream together
Add the mixture to the bechamel whisking continuously.
Heat gently for around a minute, then turn the heat off.
While warm, add 100g of grated cheese and stir until melted and smooth.
Pass through a sieve if still lumpy.
Taste and season.
Keep in Mind
Cheeses that work well are gruyere, manchego, emmenthal or cheddar.
If the mornay is lumpy you can pass it through a sieve.
thank you!
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