Beurre Blanc
This is a rich, buttery sauce that pairs well with vegetables like asparagus, pasta, or meat. You can customize it with your favorite flavors, such as truffle oil or lemon.
This sauce has a creamy and velvety smooth texture that can take any recipe from ordinary to extraordinary!
What is Beurre Blanc?
This is a sauce I learned to make while taking classes at our local culinary school. We served it over salmon. I love that it’s easy to make but tastes fancy.
Beurre Blanc is a rich butter sauce with a bright flavor and a mildly sweet taste of shallots! The key to a perfect Beurre Blanc is the technique, which is actually super simple!
What’s in Beurre Blanc?
- BUTTER For the best flavor, make sure to use real unsalted butter as the main ingredient in this butter sauce.
- WINE A dry white wine such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc is the optimal choice when it comes to cooking. Sweet wines should be avoided as they can interfere with the flavor instead of enhancing it. It’s worth noting that there are very few suitable substitutes for wine in this sauce.
- SHALLOTS are utilized as a flavoring agent in Beurre Blanc sauce. They resemble small onions and have a pinkish-purple color with a slightly milder onion flavor. In case you don’t have shallots, you can replace them with yellow onions, but the flavor would be slightly different.
- ORANGE provides a citrusy zest and tang that elevates the overall flavor profile of the sauce. You can also use Sicilian orange to make the flavor of your sauce richer.
- RAISINS offer a subtle sweetness to the sauce.
- CAPERS contribute a tangy and briny taste to Beurre Blanc.
- THYME adds herbal notes and enhances the richness of the sauce.
- VARIATIONS Beurre Blanc pairs well with lemon, orange, or truffle oil.
How to Make Beurre Blanc
The steps and techniques required for making this fancy and rich sauce may seem intricate and complicated, but they are surprisingly easy to follow.
- To make beurre blanc, chop the onion into small cubes and cut the raisins.
- Then, take the peel off an orange. Make fresh orange juice and mix it with the peel.
- Sauté the onion in sunflower oil until golden.
- Add white wine and thyme and simmer until the wine has reduced by half.
- Then, add fresh with peel and cook until the wine has reduced by three times
- Remove the thyme. Then, add raisins and capers.
- Next, set the heat to medium-high. Add the cooled butter (pre-cut into cubes). It is necessary to add a butter piece by piece, until it melts, stirring in parallel.
- Cook until all the butter has melted. It is important to avoid boiling the sauce at this stage.
- Serve with fish or seafood.
The sauce will emulsify and turn into a beautifully rich sauce. It tastes so good.
Tips for the Best Beurre Blanc
- Taste the orange before cooking. If the orange is very sour, add 15 grams of cane sugar. This will balance the flavor.
- Once the sauce has cooled, it can be reheated, but avoid boiling. Boiling can cause the butter to curdle and the sauce to lose its flavor.
- Ensure that the butter is chilled.
- Gradually add one cube at a time and whisk it gently until it gets incorporated completely. Take your time and don’t rush through the process.
How to Use Beurre Blanc
Beurre Blanc sauce is a delicious sauce with a mild buttery flavor that complements foods without overpowering them. You can customize the sauce to your taste by adding seasonings like mustard, garlic, or citrus flavors. It pairs perfectly with main dishes like Broiled Salmon Fillets, Slow Cooker Rosemary Beef Roast, Mushroom Bacon Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, and any combination of Roasted Root Vegetables. Additionally, you can experiment with fresh herbs like basil, rosemary, and thyme to create new and interesting flavor profiles for your Beurre Blanc.
How to Store Beurre Blanc
Store Beurre Blanc in a covered container, such as a mason jar, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on low heat after shaking the jar.
To preserve Beurre Blanc sauce, freeze it in ice cube trays and store the cubes in a labeled ziplock bag for about a month. When ready to use, thaw the cubes and add them to soups, sauces, or egg-based dishes for a richer flavor.
Notes
- Ensure that the butter is chilled.
- Add one cube at a time to the mixture and whisk until it is fully incorporated. Take your time and make sure each cube is fully mixed in before adding the next one.
- Ensure that the saucepan is kept on low heat while adding the butter to avoid breaking the sauce.
- If the Beurre Blanc sauce breaks (fat separates), remove from heat, cool and add a small amount of water. Whisk again to bind the sauce.
- Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat source. Like hollandaise sauce, overheating can cause it to separate.
I like the simplicity of this sauce; there's nothing excessive in it: no complex combinations of fats with carbohydrates in large quantities. The butter that forms the base of the sauce promotes skin beauty, protects the eyes, and prevents aging. However, besides being very calorie-dense, it contains saturated fats, which in large amounts can be harmful to the cardiovascular system, pancreas, and gallbladder. Therefore, it's not advisable to overindulge in this sauce (especially if you are prone to weight gain or have elevated cholesterol levels).
3. Sauté the onion in sunflower oil until golden.
6. Remove the thyme. Then, add raisins and capers.
7. Set the heat to medium-high. Add the cooled butter (pre-cut into cubes). Add butter, piece by piece, until it melts, stirring in parallel.
8. Cook until all the butter has melted.
9. Serve with fish or seafood.
Calories: 255
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
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For a delightful twist, experiment with different citrus fruits like Sicilian orange or add a hint of truffle oil. The key to a perfect Beurre Blanc lies in patience—slowly incorporate chilled butter, whisking gently, to achieve that creamy, dreamy consistency. 🍊🌿🔥