Bechamel Sauce?

[Twiglett]

Is that just white sauce made from a roux with the milk pre-boiled with peppercorns, onion and a bay leaf?

and do you let the milk cool before making the sauce?

Yes. I let the milk cool otherwise it cooks the flour/butter mix just a bit too quickly.
(Or I have been known to break out the Colmans )

I just add the peppercorns, bay leaf and a couple of cloves to the sauce after I have made the roux and added the milk. then strain the sauce and season with salt and a bit of nutmeg.

Bechamel justs means white sauce made by the roux method - so the other ingredients are to personal taste.

I find the milk has to be quite hot to thicken the sauce properly, just take it off the heat so that you can control the speed to prevent lumps.

IIRC - you make a roux based bechamel with hot milk and an all-in-one method bechamel with cold milk.

I add the onion too, forgot about that

colmans? like a pre-made one .. is it nice???

If its for the kids, I just put butter, milk and flour in a pan and boil it while stirring - makes perfect, lump-free sauce in no time. If its for adults, it tastes more refined if you cook the butter and flour for a bit first, then whisk in warm/hot milk (means no lumps). If it goes lumpy, boil the crap out of it while stirring

well I've just made a mince thing and thought I know I'll add some pasta and a cheese sauce and bake it

but .. got no cheese so thought bechamel would do?