Béchamel (Mother Sauce — Roux Ratio, Nutmeg, Milk Temperature)

Ingredients

• 50g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 50g plain flour, sifted
• 500ml whole milk, warmed to 50°C
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• 2 pinches freshly grated nutmeg (Muskatnuss preferred), grind immediately before use

Method

1. 1
   Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan over medium heat; add sifted flour in one addition and stir constantly with a wooden spoon to form a paste (roux), cooking 2 minutes while stirring until it lightens in colour and smells faintly nutty (do not brown).
2. 2
   Remove from heat; add warm milk gradually in three additions, whisking vigorously between each addition to prevent lumps, ensuring each portion is fully incorporated before adding the next.
3. 3
   Return saucepan to medium heat; bring to a gentle simmer while whisking continuously, then reduce to low heat and simmer 8–10 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce coats the back of a spoon and no floury taste remains.
4. 4
   Season with fine sea salt, white pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg; whisk thoroughly to distribute spices evenly throughout the sauce.
5. 5
   Strain through fine-mesh sieve if any lumps have formed; adjust consistency with additional warm milk if too thick, or continue simmering if too thin.
6. 6
   Use immediately or cool on surface of sauce with buttered parchment to prevent skin formation; stores refrigerated up to 3 days.