Friday, September 01, 2023

lasagna: to Béchamel, or not to Béchamel?

It's 10:30 Friday night, and what you're seeing is a scheduled post. In theory, I started walking along the Yangpyeong-Yeosu path a few minutes ago, assuming the subway to Yangpyeong Station arrived around 10 p.m. To distract you while I walk, I've got this Babish Culinary Universe video below that sings the praises of lasagna done up with Béchamel, one of the five French mother sauces. I like to think of Béchamel as what you do with milk when you have no heavy cream. Obviously, it's more complicated than that; the sauce has specific purposes, but that said, Béchamel often feels like a cheat to me. And because I'm a hypocrite, I use Béchamel rather often, generally as a base for other sauces.

I will happily eat lasagna made with Béchamel, but when I make lasagna, I tend to prefer having no Béchamel at all. Instead, I rely heavily on a combination of cheeses: ricotta, Parmigiano, and mozzarella. Sometimes, I even remember to add an egg when I mix the cheeses up, and of course I put in powdered garlic and various dried herbs to add oomph to the mixture. I think the end result kicks ass, and while I have no hatred for a Béchamel-based sauce, I think I do just fine without.



1 comment:

  1. No Béchamel is the way my father makes his lasagna; I've always considered it the "American" way. You may remember that I make my lasagna with Béchamel. Like you, though, I will happily eat both varieties.

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