One summer a student made a special advance request to make beurre blanc in class. She had been frustrated for years by not succeeding at this classic French sauce. I happily incorporated it into my class menu, serving it with some steamed turbot fresh from Brittany (see Steamed Turbot with Lemongrass, Peas, and Baby Spinach for the steaming fish method). It was a huge success and is now a staple sauce I teach in all my classes.
Tips
• The flavor of butter is very pronounced in this sauce. Don’t skimp on a cheap brand; use the best-quality butter you can afford, and the final results will reward you.
• Make sure the butter is properly chilled. This will help keep the emulsion cool as it is added to the sauce. If your butter is at room temperature, cut it into cubes, wrap it in its original packaging or in baking parchment, and freeze it for 5 minutes to chill.
• Beurre blanc splits when the sauce gets too hot, causing the emulsion to break, so use a small heavy-duty saucepan that will heat evenly. A large saucepan will heat the butter too quickly, making a stable emulsion harder to achieve.
• If your stovetop does not have a reliably low setting, you may want to use a heat diffuser to keep the heat low, or remove the pan from the heat occasionally to cool the sauce.
MAKES 1-1/4 CUPS (300 ML)
EQUIPMENT: A fine-mesh sieve.
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white wine, such as a young Chardonnay
2 tablespoons best-quality white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup (8 ounces/250 g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled
1. In a small heavy-duty saucepan, combine the wine, vinegar, and shallot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the liquid has reduced to 2 to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and salt and boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add a few tablespoons of the butter, whisking as it melts and emulsifies into the cream sauce. Add the remaining butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly, making sure that the previous cubes of butter have been fully emulsified into the sauce before adding more. Lift the pan from the heat occasionally to cool the sauce, if necessary.
2. When all the butter has been whisked in, remove the pan from the heat. Taste for seasoning. Pour the sauce through the sieve into a bowl, pressing on the shallot to extract maximum flavor. Discard the shallot and transfer the sauce to a jug or sauceboat. Serve immediately.
VARIATIONS: In place of the plain unsalted butter, use any of the compound butters, such as Tarragon and Lime, or Lemon, Mustard, Garlic, and Chile.