The simple beauty of bechamel......

Not quite sure what to call this concoction.......maybe something of a ravioli as they are stuffed little pieces of heaven in a creamy white cheddar bechamel sauce, but I used pre-made won-ton wraps that I bought at the store.....and they were fried in a pan....no worries, not deep fried, more of a sauteed in olive oil....similar to browning an onion....at any rate they had the perfect crunch factor that was accented beautifully by the velvety smooth bechamel......ahhhh bechamel how I love to love you....

.....where do we begin.....I have to admit that is a labor intensive activity, but trust me totally worth it....and you end up making 10 servings, for me and the better half that is 5 meals......cost benefit analysis tells me it is totally worth it, but with our busy schedule probably not something that will make it into active rotation.....

The Sauce....this is where I began, for me there is nothing better than a rich and creamy white sauce, but after flipping through Julia Child's The Way To Cook, I discovered the proper term for this delightfully delectable sauce: bechamel......it even sounds smooth, which it is....if of course you strain it......before adding the cheese and after everything else is done.....I have to admit that I would have never of thought of such a thing if it wasn't for my recent obsession with Master Chef!

.....first start by melting 4 TBSP of butter in a large frying pan, while that is happening add 3 cups of milk to a saucepan and warm slowly, I did this on about 3 with the lid on....for a little something special I sprinkled a pinch of cardamom to the milk (shhhhhh don't tell it's one of my secrets)......once the butter is melted you are ready to start making the magic.....I took a cup full of warm milk and added 1 TBSP of flour to it, then I beat it with a mini-whisk until it was smooth and chunk free......I don't know about you but I have never had luck with adding flour to a sauce and not ending up with curds of flour....but this time was different.....once well blended I added the flour milk to the butter and then switched over to the large whisk and went crazy, I repeated this process two more time to end up adding 3 TBSP of flour all together......when you feel the moment is right add in some freshly ground pepper & sea salt.....then continue to add in the rest of the milk whisking your heart away.....just to be on the safe side I strained the sauce and low and behold there were a few chunks lingering behind.....not sure why, but thanks to the strainer no one is the wiser.....except for all you fine folks out there in never-never land.....oh yeah did I mention I now have 7 followers! yeah me!!!

......the sauce then sits.......

...time for the filling: I started by mincing a white onion and some brown mushrooms (about 8), the smaller the pieces the better off you will be.....although I am not an expert by any means I feel confident in this because it for sure increases the surface area......increase the surface area equals increasing the taste, right?  well for me it does anyway, and if you have had the pleasure of reading previous posts you will know that I of course sauteed the mushrooms and onions in extra virgin olive oil and my fav 3 seasonings: garlic powder, seasoned salt, and red pepper flakes.....I started with the onions as they take longer and with such small pieces the mushrooms will cook down rather quickly.....I should have mentioned this earlier, but prior to frying up the veggies I took a boneless sirloin pork chop and browned it in the pan, yes boneless sirloin, and get this it was only $1.07.....this is how I got this recipe on the dollar menu, meat is not as easy as you think......OK, back to the recipe already......well as I mentioned it is better to cook the meat first, then it has a chance to rest, and you can use the same pan to cook the mushrooms and onions....this will pick up some of the flavor left behind from the pork......to season the sirloin I used Pete's Pork Seasoning....a special mixture of a friend of mines from Minnesota, when I run out I will be calling for more......

.....after the veggies and meat are ready I start warming up the sauce and adding in the shredded white cheddar cheese, thank you Petaluma Creamery.....always eat local if you can, it tastes so darn good and it so darn cheap!

......then its time to get going.....I sliced the pork thin with the grain, then in half from there so as to end up with bite size pieces, take one and place on a won-ton wrap and a small spoon of mushroom & onion mixture.....I took a whole egg and beat it to seal the wrap.....the packaging suggested just the egg white, but you know me I rarely follow directions.....TIP: beat the egg with a fork in a creme brulee dish, it was amazing......

.....with a brush make a square around the filling and fold the wrap in half, into a triangle.....then if you have one, take a crinkle cutter and trim off the edges....I then folded in the two ends in the center (securing with egg) and place on a tray....repeat until you run out of wraps....I made 50.....with 5 for a serving and less than $10 total this puppy made it to the dollar menu.....now, some of you might be thinking 5 for a serving?!?....yes, that is right 5....please do not compare to what you get a restaurant, lets face it servings at a restaurant are often two or three times what they are supposed to be.....an added bonus of this dollar menu of mine is portion control, as a society we have lost touch with how much we are to consume.....we are a society of bigger, faster, and lets face it when it comes to food not always better......I would pair this dish with a spinach salad.....or maybe another green salad that you like.....so much better than a dollar serving of french fries on the side....a little crusty bread might be nice as well.....trust me you will want something to soak up the rest of the bechamel in the bowl.....

~Enjoy!