Veganizing Classic Sauces - Béchamel
Béchamel sauce in a mainstay in my vegan kitchen – it binds ingredients, becomes a versatile sauce, creates a creamy lasagna, turns into a golden layer of gratin goodness – and it’s simple to master.
This is part one of a multi-part series explaining how I veganized five classical French sauces. During each segment, I shall discuss the role of the sauce in culinary terms, offer my detailed veganized recipe and provide a couple of example recipes using the sauce. I hope this series eases you into taking a cautionary step outside your cooking comfort zone…perhaps with a dash or two of inspiration and a pinch of encouraging community discussion!
It was obvious after spending my first 15 minutes in a professional kitchen that the most important person there was the one in charge of making the sauces. This person calculated every movement with complete confidence. The taste of every sauce was carefully considered, every sensation analyzed…every flavor detected – then adjusted and tasted again. Everyone in the kitchen knew the success of every plate of food was riding on this person’s ability to create just the right sauce…and no service could begin until this person declared success.
I felt intimidated…insecure…inadequate. And I knew one thing for sure – I should never piss off the person making the sauces.
An ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins.
-- Anthony Bourdain
A professional sauce maker elevates the perceived quality of other cooks in the kitchen. The liquid (or even semi-liquid) sauce on the plate enhances and complements the flavors of the ingredients on the plate. The sheen or color of a sauce improves the visual appeal. The balance of tastes and flavors…even the contrasts, linger on the diner’s tongue. A well-made sauce is everything on the plate…and everyone in the kitchen knows this.
Most diners immediately recognize the importance of a well-made sauce. It becomes a sort of hidden communication between the diner and the team of cooks in the kitchen. It’s a message of caring – of saying “hey, we care about your dining experience, and we thought a lot about it…enjoy your experience, and here’s some bread to sop up the sauce.”
Cooking at home is different. Most people have busy schedules; they are simply too tired to stand and whisk a sauce over gentle heat for an hour…even a simple tomato sauce. It’s far easier to go to the supermarket and select something that is pre-made…or maybe only needs a bit of water to transform a powder of dried ingredients into a classical French sauce…you know, one of those intimidating French names that imply only professionals or serious hobby cooks should attempt making a wonderful Sauce Soubise for dinner.
I understand these issues…the lack of time…the stepping out of the comfort zone anxiety. Hell, I don’t even make sauces all the time – and I’m a professional without another job demanding my time and energy.
But oh the joy that’s lost if an attempt is never made.
Mastering a sauce or two…maybe more…is not difficult or even terribly time-consuming. A basic béchamel sauce binds ingredients, is key in making lasagna or a gratin topping. Velouté is equally as versatile – it turns a simple potato and vegetable soup into a memorable chowder. Tomatoes are easily made into a sauce…and much more. A tomato sauce is the base for most pizzas, quickly tossed into pasta for a quick meal or perhaps something else entirely different – it could be Moroccan or Mexican or Indian. Brown sauces bring intensive amounts of umami to a plate…and a rich hollandaise sauce on steamed asparagus is a guilty pleasure I am happy to tolerate every spring.
Classical sauces are not reserved for posh restaurants…they elevate food on the plate, and yes, even cover a multitude of sins.
But most classical sauces – indeed all of the ones Escoffier authored – are most definitely non-vegan. Fortunately, these sauces are relatively simple to veganize – a process I began a few years ago. So, what do you think…shall we get started with learning how to make and use a vegan béchamel?
I enjoy receiving your feedback…so, please feel free to spark up a conversation about sauces and your own experience in making them. I’m personally interested in what you have to say, and I know other readers of VeganWeekly are also interested in opinions of like-minded followers.
Of course, sharing this newsletter with your friends, family and social media contacts also helps and keeps me going… and who knows…maybe this newsletter could help others who may crave valuable insights into the art of vegan cooking.