Why does my bechamel sauce always separate?

Question

I make a simple bechamel. I put butter in a nnon stick pan, I add shallots, then flour. Stir for a few minutes. Add milk and herbs. Some grated cheese, some white wine. It's all fine:looks beautiful. Then I put it in the oven with endives and 30 minutes later I have something that resembles cottage cheese in dirty water....
Why???

Answer 1

You have to cook the bechamel to a sauce before you place it in the pan to bake. I am stoked that you are baking endive in bechamel - it's wonderful.

Make sure your roux to liquid ratio is right with your recipe. By that I mean make sure your butter and flour mixture is the right equivalent to the amount of milk you add. After you add the milk, make sure to cook the sauce to sauce consistency - if you are to serve it as a finishing sauce it should be as thick as you would want to eat it at that time. If it is to bake in the oven, leave it a bit thinner but not by much and make sure to cook it through anyway on the stove.

Make sure your endive is clean but dry, and make sure there is no residual oil in the baking dish.

I make a dish like this often and when I first tried it years ago I made the mistake of not draining the endive after I poached it.

Answer 2

You could have too much cheese, too much milk or too little roux for the bechamel. Also not letting the cheese melt thoroughly will lead to this.

Answer 3

It sounds like you're not browning the flour enough before adding the other ingredients. Cheese should be added last and thoroughly melted and blended. Flour binds the fat and if its not browned it won't work well.