How To Make Bechamel & Mornay Sauces

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Mornay sauce is a sauce derived from Béchamel sauce. Starting with a bechamel sauce, add egg yolks and chopped grated cheese and to obtain a Mornay sauce. I personally like to make vegetable gratins with the mornay sauce. Mornay sauce is also good with seafood, crayfish or chicken.
Update: Look at the swiss chard gratin recipe we just published!The Mornay sauce can also accompany the following dishes:

• mac and cheese mornay sauce
• mornay sauce for chicken cordon bleu
• seafood pancakes with mornay sauce
• seafood mornay sauce recipe

Ingredients: Bechamel & Mornay Sauces

For the Béchamel sauce:

For 2 pints (1 liter) of milk

• 2 pints (1L) of milk
• 3 1/2 to 5 tbsp (50 to 70g) of butter
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup (50 to 70g) of flour
• Salt, pepper and nutmeg (to taste)

Mornay sauce:

For one liter of bechamel sauce:

• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup (80g) of cheese

Note: It can be replaced by another swiss cheese or Beaufort…

Mornay sauce recipe:  cooking instructions

Achieve the roux:
1. Melt butter over low heat with the butter cut in pieces into a saute pan or a Russian (saucepan).

Take off the heat, and add the flour all at once.
Immediately mix with a whisk or a spatula.Cook over low heat and let boil very lightly, stirring constantly with a whisk or a spatula for 3-4 min.
The roux should be sparkling on the surface and become more or less white on the surface and in some places, we say that it “blooms”.

Remove the roux off the heat, and then allow to cool.

Make the bechamel:
2. Season the milk and bring to a boil, and be sure to have a pouch (small ladle) at hand.
Put the cooking vessel that contains the roux over low heat, add a ladle of boiling milk and stir with a whisk until all the milk is absorbed by the flour in the roux.

Add to a new pouch of milk and stir with a whisk.
When the texture of the mixture is close to a “cream,” add the remaining milk gradually, stirring constantly.
Stir with the whip in the background and the “corners” of the pan to mix the roux into the milk.

3. Bring béchamel to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly, adjust seasoning if necessary.
Film the white sauce and set aside in a double boiler.

The Mornay sauce:

Note:
Here I went on 1/2 liter of bechamel to make the mornay sauce, I kept the other half of the bechamel sauce for other uses.

4. Chop the grated cheese with the chef knife.
Clarify the eggs: divide the whites from the egg yolks.

Note:
Classically, grated cheese is always chopped in restaurants, it’s optional at home. Some purists pass cheese through the sieve after having chopped it.

5. Add the yolks to the bechamel sauce and mix with a whisk.
Bring sauce to a boil and cook, stirring constantly for a few seconds.

6. Strain the sauce through a chinois or cheesecloth strainer.
7. Add chopped cheese and mix with a regular spatula or a rubber spatula off the heat.

8. Book by wrapping the container with plastic film, making contact with the mornay sauce so there’s no air in contact with the sauce. Book and you’re ready to go!

So what are you planning to use the mornay sauce recipe for?

Read also: Warm goat cheese mini-pizzas