On New Years Day, Allyson and I cooked dinner with her parents, in their kitchen, which was highly unsual and a lot of fun. We planned to cook a simple dinner of chicken, sweet potatoes, and broccoli, mostly to show them how best to use the cast iron skillet and super sharp chef’s knife that we gave them for Hanukkah. To make it special, I decided to bring along my saucier and whip up a fun cream sauce, which elevated our simple fare to something memorable. Béchamel, a plain white cream sauce, was an obvious choice, but I omitted it because I often need to add a heavy pinch of salt to it for it to have flavor, which isn’t good for anyone’s health, To up the flavor without as much salt, I decided to add lemon to the sauce for brightness, and some fresh parsley to balance out the flavor. The result was smooth and delicious, and worked equally well over the chicken and the broccoli. The dinner was a lot of fun, and we hope to make it a New Years Day tradition.
To make béchamel sauce, you make a roux, add some milk, cream, or half-and-half to it, then heat it a little while longer, stirring with a whisk all the while. Any saucepan will do, but a saucier is the best choice, because its gracefully curving sides allow your whisk to reach every bit. I included descriptions of what the roux will look like at each step, which will help you know when you’ve cooked things enough. This recipe makes enough for about 6 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/8 cup minced fresh parsley (as much as you like)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt (or, salt to taste)
- pepper
- whole nutmeg
Technique
- Starting with a cold pan, heat the butter and flour in a saucepan over medium heat, while stirring with a whisk.
- Just after the butter melts, the butter/flour mixture will have a paste-like consistency. Keep stirring.
- The mixture will quickly flatten out and become a pale yellow bubbling liquid. Cook it, while stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. If the roux turns a light brown, it has cooked longer than it needs to, and the half-and-half should be added immediately.
- While the mixture is cooking, heat the half-and-half (1 minute in the microwave, or until warm on the stovetop). This keeps the sauce warm, which helps it come together more quickly.
- When the roux is still yellow, or just after it has begun to turn brown, gradually pour the half-and-half to the saucepan, while stirring quickly and constantly. The mixture may bubble and steam at first, but will calm down as the rest of the liquid enters the pan.
- Continue to stir the sauce, over heat, for at least 3 more minutes. The sauce should boil gently at this time, which helps thicken the sauce. Reduce the heat if the sauce is boiling rapidly.
- Add the lemon zest, and slowly dribble the lemon juice into the sauce, while stirring. Add the juice slowly, to eliminate any chance of curdling the half-and-half.
- Add the parsley, pepper, and salt to taste. Stir to combine.
- Add freshly ground nutmeg, to taste. You need only a little. Stir to combine.
- Remove the sauce from the heat. It will thicken as it cools.
