Béchamel Sauce is a traditional British recipe, based on Robert Kemp Philp's recipe of 1859, for a classic white sauce made from a veal and bacon base in veal stock thickened with rice flour that's flavoured with herbs and finished with cream. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Béchamel Sauce.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Béchamel Sauce that's derived from Robert Kemp Philp's 1859 volume, The Dictionary of Daily Wants. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
BECHAMEL SAUCE.—Cut two pounds of the lean of a breast or knuckle of veal, and a quarter of a pound of lean bacon into small pieces. Melt some butter in a deep saucepan, and put in the meat to draw a little, and to whiten, not to brown. Mix two spoonfuls of fine rice flour very smooth, with pure water, and then put in a quart of clear stock made of veal, or as much water or milk. Let this stew very gently with the meat, over a chafing-dish, or by the side of the fire, for an hour and a half; having first seasoned it with a teaspoonful of white peppercorns, an onion, a few sprigs of parsley and lemon-thyme, and a bit of lemon-peel. Let the sauce settle, strain it, and stir in a cupful of hot cream. Boil it, and strain once more. This sauce is fit for adding to white ragouts, fircassees, and hashes of veal. It also forms the basis for all savoury white sauces, and for dressings of vegetables.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
900g lean meat from a breast or knuckle of veal, finely diced
225g lean bacon, finely diced
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp fine rice flour
1l clear veal stock (or use water or milk)
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 onion
6 sprigs of parsley
2 sprigs lemon thyme
2 strips of lemon zest
200ml cream, hot
Method:
Melt the butter in a deep pan, add the meat and fry gently to whited (but ensure the meat does not brown). In the meantime, mix the rice flour to a smooth paste with about 60ml water.
Add the clear stock (or water or milk) to the pan then stir in the rice flour slurry. Bring this mixture to a a simmer, add the white peppercorns, onion, parsley, lemon thyme and lemon zest then cover the pan and allow to simmer gently for about 90 minutes.
Take off the heat and pass through a fine-meshed sieve. Return the liquid to the pan, stir in the hot cream then bring to a boil, strain once more and use. Typically Béchamel sauce can be used as a white sauce for ragôuts, fricassees and veal hashes. It can also be used as the basis for savoury white sauces or as dressings for vegetables.
