Besciamella Sauce

s'kat's Note:

To accompany Mario Batali's 'Timpano di Maccheronni (the Mythic Pasta Dome)', Timpano Di Maccheroni (The Mythic Pasta Dome).

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 3.25 cups

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a medium saucepan until melted.
2. Add flour, stirring until smooth.
3. Cook gently over medium heat until light golden brown, 6-7 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until almost boiling.
5. Add milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth.
6. If lumps begin to form, you need to adjust the heat up a bit higher.
7. Bring to a boil, and cook for 30 seconds, continuing to stir.
8. Remove from the heat and season with salt and nutmeg.
9. Note: After I had brought it to a boil and let it cook for 30 seconds, it was still too liquidy.
10. I continued to cook it over high heat, stirring constantly, until it thickened down, and began to coat the back of the spoon.

Reviews

[Grace Lynn]

I made this sauce for the Timpano recipe. Although this sauce was fairly easy to make, my Timpano did not turn out good because of the crust. I'm going to make the Timpano again, perhaps using a pre-made dough.