[Sca-cooks] re:Bechamel

[Gorgeous Muiredach]

At 09:37 AM 1/5/2002, you wrote:
>So that the flour part doesn't taste raw, or just to mingle the flavors?

As Adamantius pointed out, the raw flour taste will be gone in about 20
minutes.  A longer cooking period is a little better to get the texture
right.  In any case, I always strain it :-)

A sous-chef I worked under once showed me an interesting thing for sauces
though.  It works much better for large amounts than small amounts of sauces.

Make sure that your roux is thoroughly cooked.  Here, I'm talking about the
French roux, not the New Orleans one.  Half butter, half flour, cooked on
the stove top of you have not much of it and can check it, cooked in the
oven whipped once i a while if you have lots.  Cook it until it wants to
start changing colour, but that it hasn't quite done so.  This will take
care of the raw flour taste, mostly.

Cool the roux to room temp.  Bring your liquid to a boil.  Dump your roux
in the liquid, give it a couple minutes of hard boil, turn the heat off,
and cover it.  Forget it for a half hour or so.  Come back, *then*, and
only then, whip the roux in with the sauce.

It went against all my "instincts", but it worked great.  No lumps
whatsoever.  Master A, Bear, try it, you might like it :-)

Gorgeous Muiredach
Rokkehealden Shire
Middle Kingdom
aka
Nicolas Steenhout
"You must deal with me as I think of myself" J. Hockenberry