Butter sauce, that is, in English speak.
Butter is such a magical thing, don’t you think?
I call it udder nectar. Sometimes.
Only with people who know me well, like you for example. But I usually don’t call it that at a first encounter.
You see, we get so caught up in recipes, but sometimes it can be simpler than that. Sometimes butter sauce is all you need to “enlighten” a dish.
Pan sear a venison steak with salt and pepper and serve it simply, with a coating of silken beurre blanc over or to the side.
And when you have too much beurre blanc left over (can there be too much?) simply pour it into a mason jar and let it solidify in the fridge.
It won’t reheat well, but steam some vegetables and stir in some of the hardened udder nectar at the end right before serving and you have something inspiring, and not so ordinary anymore.
I wish I could have given you a step-by-step, but you see, beurre blanc takes real attention and ample dexterity. Therefore the camera remained on the counter. But you can do it, I know you can. Give this a try sometime, and then tell me all of the ways that you discover to use it.
What’s your favorite sauce?
“Beurre Blanc”
Ingredients
- ½ cup champagne vinegar
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 shallots thinly sliced
- 1 ½ sticks 12 tablespoons cold sweet butter, cubed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the vinegars and wine with the herbs, spices, and shallots in a small-medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the liquids until they just coat the bottom of the pot.
- Whisk in the cold cubes of butter, one by one. The heat from the pan and the cold from the butter will create an emulsification. There should always be 1-2 cubes of solid butter visible as you whisk so that the mixture doesn’t become too hot and break. Once you have added the last cube of butter, turn off the heat, add the sea salt and lemon juice and whisk until incorporated. Serve immediately or keep warm for serving.
- This sauce does not reheat well, but is great when used as a flavored butter once any leftovers are refrigerated.
Other Sauces You Might Like:
~ 5 Minute Tomato Sauce by 101 Cookbooks
~ Sauce Recipes from The Reluctant Gourmet
~ World’s Best Tzaziki Sauce by Kalyn’s Kitchen
~ Whiskey Hot Sauce by Georgia Pellegrini
10 Comments
Marla
Yay for everything butter!! I hav never made a beurre blanc sauce but I love all kinds of buttah – from ghee to cultured it’s all good. Thanks for the great recipe, love that I can store the extra in the fridge to scoop & smear.
Amy | She Wears Many Hats
Whoa Nellie, this looks amazing!
Lauren
I just won a giveaway from ^Marla^ and it consists of 6 blocks of butter…this is now on my to-make list! Thanks 🙂
Georgia Pellegrini
That was a fabulous giveaway! You lucky girl. Kerry Gold is especially good in pie crusts to be sure to save some for that : )
Maria
You can’t go wrong with beurre blanc!
Kalynskitchen
This sauce looks like it would taste good on almost anything! Thanks for the mention of my Tzatziki sauce; one of my favorites!
Paul
Great sauce recipe!
I will follow on Twitter (@cookingmesoftly)
Jonathan Gwynne
Don’t you strain the peppercorns and coriander seeds out?
Georgia Pellegrini
You can, or you can keep them, it’s up to you!
Georgia Pellegrini
Up to you! You could. Sometimes I’m a rule breaker though.