Description

Beurre blanc is a simple butter-based emulsified sauce that's great with fish or seafood. When compared to mother sauces such as velouté, which has been around since at least the 1600s, beurre blanc is a relative newcomer (and not a culinary mother sauce). It originated in the 1890s in Nantes, a city in western France close to the Atlantic coast and was originally called beurre Nantes.

Directions

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Cut the butter into medium (1/2-inch) cubes and return them to the refrigerator to keep them cold.

3. Heat the wine, vinegar, and shallot in a saucepan over high heat until the liquid boils. Continue boiling until the liquid has reduced down to about 2 tablespoons, about 30 to 40 minutes.

4. Reduce the heat to low, take the cubes of butter out of the fridge and start rapidly whisking them in, 1 or 2 at a time, to the reduction. As the butter melts and incorporates, add more and keep whisking. Continue until you only have 2 to 3 cubes remaining. This process should take about 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Remove from the heat while whisking in the last few cubes, and whisk for a moment or two more. The finished sauce should be thick and smooth.​

6. Season to taste with kosher salt.

7. Traditionally, the chopped shallot would be strained out before serving but doing so is optional. Serve right away. Enjoy.