A word about this sauce: Traditional Beurre Blanc is room temp unsalted butter whipped (mounted) into a white wine reduction. The trick is to keep the already existing butter emulsion intact or the sauce will break into component ingredients. The key thing, I was always told, was to not let the sauce get too hot.
Mr. Way (Kwok Way Lum) was an incredible Chef. He'd taken over making sauces just when I started working at the Club. I asked for a Buerre Blanc and in short order he had me taste his. Pretty damned good, I thought. What shocked me was that he put it to hold in the steam table. Disaster. Like a gentle uncle dealing with an unruly nephew, he assured me it wouldn't break. And damned if he wasn't right.
Chef Chris Ahr had been there a couple of weeks when he came up to me with his brow all furled. "Did you know Mr. Way can boil his Beurre Blanc?" "Amazing, isn't it?"
Final note. This works as a "mother sauce" recipe. Add herbs, spices, change wines and vinegars, the combinations are up to you. My fav is a Mirin Ginger sauce.
Beurre Blanc - 1 cup
MIZE en PLACE
1 Tbls Finely Minced Shallots of Sweet Onion
¼ Cup Dry White Wine
1 Tbls Vinegar or Lemon Juice
Parsley Stems (optional)
3 Black Peppercorns
½ Bay leaf
⅓ Cup Heavy Cream
6 oz Unsalted Butter, room temp, cut into 12 pieces
Salt to taste
GEAR
8" Saute' Pan
Whisk
Cutting Board, Knife
Strainer
Small Mixing Bowl
Pyrex Measuring Cup or Pint Mason Jar
STEPS
1. Fill Mason Jar with straight hot tap water, set aside.
2. Shallots, Wine, Vinegar, Parsley Stems, Peppercorns, and Bay Leave into 8" Saute Pan,
Bring to a boil.
3. Continue to cook down until about 25% remains, should be syrupy.
4. Add Cream, bring back to a boil and reduce by half until "nape'" (coats the back of a
spoon)
5. Remove pan from heat, whisk in 2 pieces of butter.
6. Return to heat set at medium
7. A couple of pieces of butter at a time, whisk into the pan. When you get to the last two
pieces turn off heat and keep whisking until melted.
8. Strain sauce into small mixing bowl
9. Empty hot water from jar, pour sauce in.
10. Adjust for salt and acid (I generally add a little gastrique or lemon juice)
11. Add optional herbs, spices etc . . .
12. Keep someplace warm until needed
Comments
Post a Comment