In case you were wondering (you’re probably not, actually, but I’m going to tell you anyway), this sauce is named after the Marquis de Béchamel. In Italian it’s called balsamella or besciamella. The original and full French version also involves steeping some onion and a bay leaf in milk for 30 minutes, to infuse the sauce with more flavor, but here’s an everyday approach. My simplified version is a snap to make and is perfect with my Baked Rigatoni with Béchamel Sauce (page 115). You could also use it the way you would hollandaise sauce.

Ingredients

　　5 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　1/2 cup all-purpose flour

　　4 cups warm whole milk

　　1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

　　Pinch of freshly ground white pepper, plus more to taste

　　Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, plus more to taste

　　In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick, smooth, and creamy, about 10 minutes (do not allow the béchamel sauce to boil). Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch each of white pepper and nutmeg. Season the sauce with more salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. (The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate.)

　　Reprinted with permission from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.