How to Make a Beurre Blanc

Beurre blanc goes well with fish.

A beurre blanc is a classic French sauce made of white wine, vinegar, shallots and butter. The name means "white butter" and butter mounting is the technique used to create this sauce. Butter mounting is a technique wherein tablespoon-size pieces of cold, unsalted butter are whisked into a liquid right before serving. Beurre blanc is generally paired with poultry, fish, vegetables and eggs.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• 3 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
• 1⁄4 cup dry white wine
• 1⁄4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. shallots, minced
• 1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
• Pinch of white pepper
• 1⁄2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Sieve
• Sauceboat
• Heavy cream (optional)
• 3 tbsp. drained capers (optional)
• 2 tbsp. parsley, minced (optional)

1. Mix 1/4 cup of dry white wine and 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1 tbsp. of minced shallots, 1/4 tsp. of kosher salt and a pinch of white pepper while the liquid is still boiling.

2. Lower the heat to a simmer and let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. About 1-½ tbsp. of liquid should be left when the sauce is reduced. If it gets reduced too far, add 1 tbsp. of water.

3. Remove the pan from the stove. Add 2 pieces of butter to the mixture.

4. Put the pan back over the heat and whisk in the rest of the butter, one piece at a time. Make sure each piece of butter melts into the sauce before adding the next piece. Do not let the sauce come to a boil after any of the butter is added. Allowing the sauce to boil will cause it to separate.

5. Remove the sauce from the heat. Whisk in 1/2 tsp. of lemon juice. Strain the sauce through a sieve and pour into a sauceboat.

Tips & Warnings

• You can set the saucepan inside a larger pan filled with lukewarm water to keep it warm for serving.

• Adding a few ounces of heavy cream before adding the butter will help ensure a smooth sauce.

• Reheat the sauce by adding 2 to 3 tbsp. of warm liquid like stock, cream or water.

• For a variation on the traditional beurre blanc sauce, add 3 tbsp. of drained capers and 2 tbsp. of minced parsley.

References

• Saveur Magazine
• Food Network
• Epicurious.com
• Webexhibits.org
• Cookfoodgood.com