béchamel

American  

[bey-shuh-mel, bey-sha-mel] / ˈbeɪ ʃəˌmɛl, beɪ ʃaˈmɛl /

noun

1. a white sauce, sometimes seasoned with onion and nutmeg.

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Etymology

Origin of béchamel

First recorded in 1790–1800; named after Louis, Marquis de Béchamel (steward of Louis XIV of France), its originator

Explanation

Bechamel is a rich, pale-colored sauce made with milk. You can make lasagna with bechamel instead of the more traditional tomato sauce. Another name for bechamel — or béchamel — is "white sauce." Making a bechamel is a very basic technique in French cooking which begins with a roux, a cooked mixture of flour and butter, and after slowly whisking in milk, ends in a creamy sauce. The word bechamel comes from the name of a servant of King Louis XIV of France, Louis de Béchamel, who is said to have invented it in the 17th century.

Example Sentences

She's called Jooooey Bechamel but some readers might be forgiven for noticing a similarity between her name and that of Zooey Deschanel, actor, singer and cutesy star of US sitcom New Girl.

From The Guardian • Aug. 8, 2012

While it is cooking prepare a meat sauce, and a Bechamel sauce as follows:

From Simple Italian Cookery by Isola, Antonia, [pseud.]

A good recipe for the Bechamel sauce is the following: One ounce of butter browned with one ounce of flour.

From Joe Tilden's Recipes for Epicures by Tilden, Joe

Ingredients: Fowl, potato flour, eggs, Bechamel sauce, peas, asparagus, spinach, clear soup.

From The Cook's Decameron: a study in taste, containing over two hundred recipes for Italian dishes by Waters, W. G., Mrs.

Oysters, clams, sweetbread, chicken or turkey may be served à la Bordelaise or Bechamel.

From Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing-Dish Dainties With Fifty Illustrations of Original Dishes by Hill, Janet McKenzie