bechamel

/beɪʃəˈmɛl/

/beɪʃəˈmɛl/

Other forms: bechamels

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.

Definitions of bechamel

1. noun

   milk thickened with a butter and flour roux
   synonyms: bechamel sauce, white sauce

   types:

   blanc

   a white sauce of fat, broth, and vegetables (used especially with braised meat)

   cheese sauce

   white sauce with grated cheese

   cream sauce

   white sauce made with cream

   Mornay sauce

   onion-flavored creamy cheese sauce with egg yolk and grated cheese

   type of:

   sauce

   flavorful relish or dressing or topping served as an accompaniment to food