Béchamel or white sauce		Time: 10 min.
Ingredients: 3 or more tablespoons of butter 5 tablespoons of all purpose flour 2 cups (can vary) of milk or 1/2 & 1/2 salt and pepper		Take the pot off the heat and pour in all of the cold milk or 1/2 and 1/2. Stir well and put it back on the burner. Keep stirring until the butter and flour paste begins to melt and the entire mixture starts to thicken.   Season with a bit of dash of salt but don't forget the pepper!
Preparation:    The quantity of liquid varies according to how thick or thin you want the sauce.    Over a moderate heat use a sauce pan to melt the butter.   Add all of the flour and mix well, heating it for a few minutes until the paste is a light golden brown.		A good béchamel just isn't the same without a good dash of white or black pepper or a touch of nutmeg.   With such a stunning homemade sauce, you'll never use anything from a package again. You can make it thin to pour over a chicken dish or use a thick one with some sautéed mushrooms to fill some puff pastry.
Don't use too high of a heat or the mixture/paste will become too brown. You want the flour to completely absorb all of the butter and turn a wonderful golden brown.		The Secret Knowledge: Thicken the sauce to the point you want then reduce the heat all the way. Now add 2-3 oz's of 1/2 & 1/2 or milk. Mix until it comes back up to the thickness you want. No one, no famous chef will pass this along in any recipe but it's the secret to a sauce that's like silk.
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