Bechamel: Creamiest of Mother Sauces

There are 5 basic mother sauces in French cuisine, in my opinion bechamel is the most important. This is the base to your homemade mac n’ cheese, a fault-free though untraditional Alfredo sauce, the base to nacho-style liquid cheese, or an important component of lasagne. I offer another recipe…

Baked Rigatoni with Lemony Bechamel

• 4 tbsp. butter

• 4 tbsp. flour

• 1 c. whole milk

• 1 c. chicken stock

• 1 c. shredded Gruyere cheese

• 1 c. finely & freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

• 1 tbsp. lemon zest

• salt & pepper to taste

• 1/2 lb De Cecco Rigatoni (this specific brand I par-cooked for 9 minutes)

• small baking dish

In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter then add 4 tablespoons of flour. Cook on medium-low until the butter just foams. Slowly add milk, bonus points if your milk has been warmed or is room temperature but what mom has time for that?!? I frequently add cold milk but this means I have to power whisk so it doesn’t clump and break.

This bechamel is the start of any dish you want to make. For my Baked Rigatoni with Lemony Bechamel, I added homemade chicken stock, lemon zest and the cheeses above. I parcooked my rigatoni, until it was under al dente, just slightly raw. Add the bechamel to the rigatoni, place in a baking dish. Cover liberally in bread crumbs. Drizzle melted butter, or olive oil over the top and bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.

One of these babes got to eat the pasta off a dish… the other snagged crumbs off the floor.

Extra creamy, as you can see! Bechamel is a wonder sauce!!