Beurre Blanc

Years ago, starting our life’s journey together we took our first trip to France, the Loire valley. It was cold that March and the majestic, masculine castle of Chambord was full of tall, thick stone walls and the wind howled through each grand ballroom and staircase. Shivering and hungry we sought shelter down the road at the hotel St Michel that had housed and fed travelers for almost a century, still there in 1977 as the years passed but time stood still. The menu was short but the room toasty warm and cozy. There we tasted fish with beurre blanc sauce for the first time. The buttery aroma rose from the plate, the sauce caressed our palate and lapped down the throat; nectar or ambrosia? Our travel diary from the trip says “we had found a warm and inviting restaurant on a biting cold March day and a fish with a divine beurre blanc that lingered in our soul for hours”.

It took us thirty years to screw up the courage and try the sauce at home. By then, Julia Child’s instructions had been adapted and modified by cooks and pundits all over the Internet. There were different proportions for the wine vs. vinegar, sometimes lemon or whipping cream were included, white pepper might replace black pepper, but the centerpiece was always cold butter.

Here is how we did it:

½ cup dry white wine (drinking not cooking wine)
½ cup white wine vinegar (balsamic or red wine types are too strong)
2 tablespoon shallots finely minced (they should be almost translucent)
One stick cold butter cut in 6 cubes (not margarine, it will curdle)
Salt and fine ground black pepper to taste

In an 8 inch non-stick pan, mix the wine, vinegar and shallots; over low heat, simmer gently until the shallots are wilted and the liquid has reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes (but may vary a little depending on the stove). Turn off the gas (if using an electric oven, move pan to an adjacent cold burner). Keeping the butter cold (in the refrigerator or in a bowl sitting in water with ice), add one cube at a time and stir gently but continuously until it becomes smooth and creamy (most recipes suggest using a wire whisk but a slotted wooden spoon works as well). This will usually take another 10-15 minutes (makes about one cup of sauce, enough for a two person dinner). When all the butter is folded into the sauce, cover with Saran wrap and keep warm but off direct heat until dinner (make wait time as short as possible).

Beurre blanc goes best with white flaky fish such as snapper or flounder. Depending on the thickness of the fish and the individual preference as to doneness, the fish can start cooking simultaneously with the preparation of the sauce or after the sauce is done.