>>7011083It should be able to stand on its own as a sauce, but I understand that a lot of people don't think of it that way. Many people think it's just milk thickened with roux and a bit of seasoning, but that's oversimplified. At the very least, it should have some lean veal (classical version), pork, or chicken, onion, nutmeg, and thyme. Otherwise, I would call it a gravy base instead of bechamel. I like to use a sachet with some garlic and bayleaf, and a small amount of white wine after sauteing the onions, and cayenne.
