Gruyere Bechamel Recipes

GRUYERE BECHAMEL

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden and has a slightly nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Stir in Dijon.
• Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups milk and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium-high, whisking often along the bottom of pan, until boiling, about 7 minutes.
• Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Add nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens to the consistency of thin yogurt, about 10 minutes. Stir in Gruyere. Season with salt and pepper.

GRUYERE CHEESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Add flour; stir 2 minutes (do not brown).
• Gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk.
• Increase heat to high; bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is thickened, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Add cheese, stir until melted.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Do Ahead: This cheese sauce can be made 2 hours ahead.
• Let stand at room temperature.
• Rewarm before using, adding more milk if sauce is too thick.

BRAISED ENDIVE WITH HAM AND GRUYèRE

Steps:

• To cook the endive, combine the butter, sugar, salt, and 10 1/2 cups water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Add the endive, cover, and cook until very tender, about 45 minutes. A knife should be able to pierce through with no resistance. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the endive to paper towels. Reserve 1 1/4 cups cooking liquid. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the endive.
• Wrap each endive with slices of ham. Arrange the endive in a shallow baking dish that holds them snugly; you don't want any space between the endive.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until golden. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture smells nutty, about 2 minutes. Continue whisking and add the milk, then the reserved endive cooking liquid in a slow, steady stream. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking. Continue whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg and pepper.
• Pour the béchamel over the endive and spread to cover them evenly. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. If you want the top more browned and crusty, broil for a minute or two after baking. Serve hot.

BASIC BECHAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the flour until smooth. Continue stirring as the flour cooks to a light, golden, sandy color, about 7 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in milk until thickened by the roux. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the flour has softened and not longer tastes gritty, 10 to 20 minutes, then season with salt and nutmeg.

GRUYèRE MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• For the béchamel: Heat the milk, onion, and bay leaf in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until steam wisps start to rise from the milk (this is scalding the milk, the stage just before boiling), then turn the heat to low. Meanwhile, bring water to a rapid boil in a large saucepan; salt the water. Add the macaroni, immediately stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking, and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• As the macaroni cooks, prepare the roux: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; then whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, to remove the raw flavor of the flour. Once the mixture is bubbling, turn the heat down to low as it continues to cook, about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of cayenne. Slowly add the scalded milk, whisking vigorously after each addition until sauce is smooth. (Discard the onion and bay leaf.) The sauce will thicken as it heats, so be sure to whisk continuously to avoid burning. When all the milk is incorporated, bring to a simmer again before taking the saucepan off the heat. Drain the cooked pasta thoroughly.
• Whisk the cream into the béchamel and season with salt and pepper. Place the macaroni in a large bowl and add 2 cups of the Gruyère. Pour the béchamel on top and stir well to combine. Season to taste with salt.
• Assemble and bake the macaroni: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour macaroni into a buttered baking dish and top with the remaining Gruyère, then sprinkle on the panko and Parmesan. Bake until the top is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly, 20-30 minutes.
• Remove macaroni from the oven and set aside. Chop chives and parsley and garnish before serving.

BECHAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• In a sauce pan cook the onion in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened. Stir in the flour and cook the roux, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the milk in a stream, whisking vigorously until the mixture is thick and smooth, add the salt and the white pepper, and simmer the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is thickened to the desired consistency. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl and cover the surface with a buttered round of wax paper to prevent a skin from forming.