Beurre Blanc

Name: Beurre Blanc
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 0.25 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio; 0.25 cup white wine vinegar; 2 tbsp shallot, finely chopped (about 1 medium); 0.33 cup heavy cream; 0.25 tsp salt; 0.13 tsp white pepper, freshly ground if possible; 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces and chilled

French Butter Sauce (Beurre Blanc)

This legendary French sauce might look simple — just butter whisked into a wine reduction — but it's pure technique and timing. When done right, you get a glossy, velvety sauce that transforms any fish or vegetable dish into restaurant-quality fare. The secret is patience and constant motion.

FrenchDinnerSauceVegetarian

Prep5 min

Cook10 min

Total15 min

Servings4

Difficultymedium

Ingredients

¼ cupdry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
¼ cupwhite wine vinegar
2 tbspshallot, finely chopped (about 1 medium)
⅓ cupheavy cream
¼ tspsalt
⅛ tspwhite pepper, freshly ground if possible
2 sticksunsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces and chilled

Instructions

Combine the wine, vinegar, and shallot in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat and bring to a vigorous boil. Let it bubble away until it's thick and syrupy — you should have about 2-3 tablespoons left, which takes roughly 5-6 minutes. Stir in the cream, salt, and pepper, then boil for exactly 1 minute. Lower the heat to moderately low and begin the butter dance: add a few tablespoons of the cold butter while whisking constantly. Keep adding the remaining pieces one by one, whisking furiously and adding each new piece before the previous one completely disappears. If the sauce gets too hot and starts to break, lift the pan off the heat for a few seconds to cool it down.
⏱ 5 min
Pull the pan off the heat completely and taste for seasoning — adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Pour the sauce through a medium-mesh sieve into a warmed serving vessel, pressing the shallot solids against the mesh to extract their flavor before discarding them. Serve this beauty immediately while it's still glossy and warm — beurre blanc waits for no one.