béchamel
Creamy French base
Béchamel is a classic French white sauce made by cooking flour and butter together, then gradually adding milk.
It serves as a base for many other sauces and appears in dishes like lasagna, gratins, and croque-monsieurs: The macaroni and cheese calls for a rich béchamel.
One of the five mother sauces in French cuisine.
Pioneering French culinary master
- mother sauceBase sauce others derive from
- haute cuisineElevated culinary artistry
- French cookingCulinary art from Paris
- bistroInformal small restaurant
brasserie · Julia Child · gastronomy · Paris · Provence · coq au vin · croque monsieur · soufflé
Cheese-enriched white sauce
- cheddar sauceMelted seasoned cheese preparation
- cheese sauceMelted dairy condiment
- mustard sauceCondiment from ground seeds
- parsley sauceHerb-flecked white sauce
Mammalian nursing fluid
- butterSolid fat from cream
- flourMilled grain powder
- nutmegAromatic seed spice
- white pepperDehulled peppercorn spice
salt · bay leaf · onion · clove · shallot · whole milk · clarified butter · all-purpose flour
Baked layered pasta dish
- moussakaLayered eggplant casserole
- gratinBaked dish, browned crust
- macaroni and cheesePasta in cheese sauce
- cauliflower cheeseBaked florets in sauce
croque monsieur · cannelloni · baked pasta · casserole · croquettes · fish pie · shepherd's pie · white pizza
Smooth and rich
- velvetySoft and smooth-textured
- silkySmooth and lustrous
- smoothWithout roughness or difficulty
- richHaving much of something
thick · luscious · coating · glossy · pourable · napping · unctuous · luxurious
Milled grain powder
- butterSolid fat from cream
- whiskLooped wire mixer
- stirringArousing strong emotion
- thickeningIncreasing in density
emulsion · simmer · starch · gelatinization · pan · saucepan · wooden spoon · paste
Escoffier
Pioneering French culinary master
- mother sauceBase sauce others derive from
- haute cuisineElevated culinary artistry
- French cookingCulinary art from Paris
bistro · brasserie · Julia Child · gastronomy · Paris · Provence · coq au vin · croque monsieur · soufflé · vol-au-vent
mornay
Cheese-enriched white sauce
- cheddar sauceMelted seasoned cheese preparation
- cheese sauceMelted dairy condiment
- mustard sauceCondiment from ground seeds
milk
Mammalian nursing fluid
white pepper · salt · bay leaf · onion · clove · shallot · whole milk · clarified butter · all-purpose flour
lasagna
Baked layered pasta dish
- moussakaLayered eggplant casserole
- gratinBaked dish, browned crust
- macaroni and cheesePasta in cheese sauce
cauliflower cheese · croque monsieur · cannelloni · baked pasta · casserole · croquettes · fish pie · shepherd's pie · white pizza
creamy
Smooth and rich
rich · thick · luscious · coating · glossy · pourable · napping · unctuous · luxurious · homogeneous
flour
Milled grain powder
thickening · emulsion · simmer · starch · gelatinization · pan · saucepan · wooden spoon · paste · fat
béchamelvinaigrette
Oil-and-sour sauce
au jus · fish sauce · soy sauce · consommé · ponzu
- béchamel sauceMilk-thickened French base