Name: Beurre Blanc Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 shallots, about 75 g, very finely chopped; 100 ml dry white wine; 3 tbsp white wine vinegar; 200 g cold unsalted butter, diced; ½ tsp salt; 1 pinch white pepper; 1 tsp lemon juice

Beurre Blanc Sauce

A warm, buttery white sauce made by whisking cold butter into a reduction of shallots, white wine and vinegar, served with fish.

25 min total Serves 4 servings Medium

Cold butter, a reduction and a low heat: the whole technique of beurre blanc in three phrases. This is the classic French sauce for poached or grilled fish, from the Loire, and it is an emulsion of butter and acid held together by gentle heat and constant whisking. It tastes of butter, with a pleasant sharpness.

The reduction is the base. Finely chopped shallots are simmered in white wine and white wine vinegar until nearly all the liquid has gone, leaving only 2 tablespoons of syrupy shallots. Reduce until the pan looks almost dry. Too much liquid at this point will thin the sauce and prevent it from thickening.

Take the pan to the lowest heat. Whisk in cold butter, a cube at a time, waiting until each piece has nearly melted before adding the next. The butter does not melt into oil but forms a pale, creamy sauce. If the pan gets too hot, the sauce splits into a greasy mess; lift it off the heat, whisk and try again.

Strain, or leave the shallots in for a rustic look. Season with salt, white pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Serve at once, as it can't be held for more than 15 minutes.

How to Make Beurre Blanc Sauce

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Put the shallots, wine and vinegar in a small pan and simmer for 8 minutes until reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
Lower the heat to the minimum. Whisk in the butter a piece at a time, adding the next only when the last has almost melted, until the sauce is pale and creamy.
Season with the salt, pepper and lemon juice. Strain if you like and serve at once.

A Few Pointers

Use cold butter.
Keep the heat low and whisk constantly.
Hold the sauce in a warm flask for up to 15 minutes.

Swaps and Variations

A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.

What to Serve With It

Poached salmon · Grilled sole · Scallops · Asparagus

Keeping and Reheating

Best eaten straight away. Do not reheat.