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Sauce Bechamel is a milk based French Mother Sauce. It is used as a simple base to make popular secondary sauces such as Sauce Mornay, Cheddar Cheese Sauce, or even a simple cream sauce.

Standard Bechamel Recipe

• 4 oz/125 grams white roux

• 1 qt/1 L milk (Any milk will use but whole milk is preferred)

• 1/4 white onion, skin peeled off

• 1 whole clove

• 1 whole bay leaf

• Salt, White Pepper and Nutmeg To Taste

   

1. Combine flour and butter in a small pan, and cook over moderate heat, to make a white roux.

2. In a separate pot, heat up milk to a simmer.

3. Add roux to the milk, making sure that both the milk and the roux are not too hot.

4. Whisk the roux and milk together and bring to a simmer.

5. Stick your bay leaf to your white onion with your whole clove, and place in simmering milk.

6. Simmer for about 30 minutes, and thin with milk if necessary.

7. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. The nutmeg should not be prevalent, but instead should add depth of flavor.

8. Finish by straining through a chinois.

Bechamel Based Secondary Sauces

Almost any milk or cream based sauce that you will make, will be based on classical Bechamel. Below are some popular secondary sauces that are based on this recipe. Each recipe below is based on 1 qt/1 L of Bechamel, which is what the recipe above yields.

Standard Cream Sauce

• Add 4-8 oz of heavy cream, heated or tempered

• Season with salt, white pepper and lemon juice to taste

• Add your favorite  herbs and spices to taste

• Strain through a chinois to insure a smooth, creamy texture

Mornay Sauce

• Stir in 4 oz of Gruyere and 2 oz of Parmesan cheese, both grated

• Turn off heat and swirl in 2 oz of raw butter

• Adjust consistency with warm milk as necessary

Cheddar Cheese Sauce

• 8 oz cheddar cheese, grated

• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• Stir all ingredients into warm Bechamel until cheddar cheese is melted

Simple Mustard Sauce

• Stir in 4-6 oz of good dijon mustard

• Finish off the flame by swirling in 2-4 oz of raw butter

• Strain through a chinois

More Info

• SCS 11| Sauce Bechamel

Poaching is a great way to cook delicate proteins such as fish. It is a moist method of cooking that gently and evenly cooks a protein without allowing the protein molecules to coagulate too quickly which can result in the finished product becoming chewy.

Basic Technique For Poaching

• Heat poaching liquid (usually stock, wine, or court bouillon), to anywhere between 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit. A good visual guide is when bubbles start forming on the bottom of the pan but do not break the surface.
• Some chefs will heat their poaching liquid to upwards of 200 degrees to counteract the cooling that will occur when the protein is placed in the liquid.
• Monitor the temperature of your poaching liquid with a good thermometer to make sure that the temperature remains consistent.
• Poach your protein to the desired finished temperature (about 130-135 degrees for fish and 135-140 for meat).
• Remove protein and allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes depending on size and weight.

More Info

• Court Bouillon Recipe
• SCS 7| Braising, Poaching & Roasting

The term “prime rib” is often incorrectly used for what is really a rib roast. The word prime is derived from the highest grading beef can obtain from the USDA, due to its marbling and fat content. Most true “prime ribs” are used by high end steak houses and swanky hotels, leaving only the choice USDA grades to be found at most supermarkets.

However, there is no law against a restaurant calling a roasted “choice grade” rib of beef “prime rib” because who’s to say that they didn’t roast it in a “prime” fashion.

So why call this post “How To Cook Prime Rib” even though its really a rib roast? Because that’s what people know it as and will keep calling it no matter how incorrect. But at least now you know the real truth. So without further delay…

How To Cook Prime Rib
 

• When cooking prime rib, I like to always heavily salt the rib roast the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight. If you salt the rib roast right before cooking, it will draw moisture to the surface through osmosis and retard the browning process.
• A lot of people like to start their “prime rib” in a 300-350 degree oven in order to keep it from shrinking. Me personally, I like to roast it first at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes to give the meat a little jump start on the browning process
• Start by heavily seasoning your rib roast with lots of kosher salt and pepper and letting it sit in your fridge overnight if at all possible.
• Place the rib roast fat side up in a roasting rack, and place the roasting rack in a roasting pan. If the fat cap is thicker than 1/2″, trim it down accordingly.
• Insert a probe thermometer into the center of the rib roast, (this step can be omitted if you are using an instant read thermometer).
• Place the rib roast (aka prime rib) into a 500 degree oven for about 15 minutes to help the browning process begin.
• After 15 minutes, lower the oven to 300 degrees and allow to cook until it reaches the desired internal temperature, (120 degrees F for rare, 130 Degrees F for medium) allowing for about 10 degrees of carryover cooking. This means that for medium, you should really pull the rib roast out of the oven when your thermometer reads 120-125 degrees Fahrenheit. Note: end pieces will be more done than the center.
• After the desired internal temperature is reached, remove from the roasting rack and allow to “rest” in a warm place for about 15-30 minutes. This will cause the juices to evenly distribute back into the meat, keeping your prime rib moist when slicing.

While your prime rib is resting, it is the perfect time to make your pan jus from the drippings.

• Put the roasting pan on the stove top on medium-high heat. If there is an excessive amount of fat in the drippings, you can pour some of it off, being careful not to lose any of the meat juices.
• Throw in some mirepoix (diced onions, celery and carrots at 2:1:1 ratio respectively) and brown in the fat drippings.
• Once the mirepoix is nice and browned, add in some roasted veal stock at the rate of 1/2 gallon per 10 lb prime rib. Allow to simmer and reduce by at least 1/2, making sure to scrape all of the little brown meat drippings off the bottom of the pan.
• Strain through a chinois into a sauce pot, and allow to sit off the flame so that the fat has a chance to rise to the top. Skim off the fat, and finish your jus by seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve your prime rib with some sort of potato (baked, mashed, fried, etc), a good seasonal veg, some horseradish sour cream, and of course your natural pan jus.