I do wish there were an edit feature for our responses! What I should have been saying is that the thing you refer to as a 'beschamel' in your question- is not a true beschamel.I don't think (most or all)Greeks call it a beschamel either. It is a custard: butter, thickener(flour), milk, egg. This is the from a Food Network Moussaka recipe:
CUSTARD SAUCE
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano
Beschamel for Italian cooking is a sauce that does not contain eggs. When I purchase moussaka from a local vendor (I keep pieces of it as a go-to frozen item that I can defrost and reheat quickly in emergencies.)
it def has egg in it, which firms it up as the top layer and makes is cuttable, so I suggest you look for recipes containing egg.
I just googled Moussake Recipes and here is the first one I chose. yes it contains egg.Does yours? if not, add egg to your sauce, in the same ratio as in the majority of recipes you find.
It wouldn't really hurt the moussaka to pour over a new, 2nd, beschamel layer, containing egg this tie, and bake it til it sets up.But maybe accept yours as it is this time and use the new knowledge for future moussaka.
Agreed--if you cook the béchamel in a saucepan, whisking all the while, it should thicken up nicely. What béchamel recipe are you using?
Do you have the Joy of Cooking? The Moussaka recipe in it uses a yogurt-egg mixture that doesn't require pre-cooking and is lighter than béchamel. A nice change that really compliments moussaka well.
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http://greek.food.com/recipe/kittencals-greek-moussaka-88804
CUSTARD SAUCE
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano
it def has egg in it, which firms it up as the top layer and makes is cuttable, so I suggest you look for recipes containing egg.
It wouldn't really hurt the moussaka to pour over a new, 2nd, beschamel layer, containing egg this tie, and bake it til it sets up.But maybe accept yours as it is this time and use the new knowledge for future moussaka.
Do you have the Joy of Cooking? The Moussaka recipe in it uses a yogurt-egg mixture that doesn't require pre-cooking and is lighter than béchamel. A nice change that really compliments moussaka well.