- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- ½ cup white (distilled) vinegar
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) lightly salted butter , softened to room temperature
- In a small heavy saucepan, cook the shallots slowly in the vinegar over medium-low heat until only 1 tablespoon of liquid remains, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, waiting for each addition to melt before adding the next. The sauce will be warm and thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. Keep the sauce warm in a water bath (bain-marie) until ready to use. Variations
- Variations
- In the early ’70s, Paul Bocuse and other chefs abandoned hollandaise sauce, the butter sauce of the classic French kitchen, and started using beurre blanc exclusively. Variations developed, with wine being used in place of the vinegar. Even red wine was used to create a beurre rouge (red butter sauce). Beurre blanc soon became the mainstay of nouvelle cuisine, and is used today with fish, veal, chicken and vegetables.
- Beurre Blanc au Basilic (White Butter Sauce with Basil): Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil at the end of step 1.
- Beurre Blanc à la Ciboulette (White Butter Sauce with Chives): Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped chives after step 1.
- Beurre Blanc à l’Estragan (White Butter Sauce with Tarragon): Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon at the end of step 1.
- Beurre Blanc an Cresson (White Butter Sauce with Watercress PuréE): Make a dry purée of watercress following step 1 of Pâtes Fraîches Veries (page 92), using only 1 bunch of watercress. Whisk in enough of the puréed watercress to lightly color the sauce.