Sauce Crème
The science
Cream adds butterfat and its own proteins, deepening richness and loosening the sauce toward a more luxurious, pourable texture; brief reduction concentrates flavor and rebuilds body lost to the added liquid. It is the simplest of all the béchamel children — enrichment without a new dominant flavor.
Flavor profile
Heavy cream stirred into béchamel and reduced slightly, often brightened with a little lemon.
Culinary uses
Vegetables, eggs, poached fish and poultry where a clean, rich white sauce is wanted.
Reference notes
Parent: Béchamel. Compare to sauce Suprême in the Velouté family — the same "add cream and reduce" move performed on a stock base.