When I was on vacation eating all that delicious seafood, some of it was served with a burre blanc, which is French for white butter sauce. It was so good that I think we should all learn how to make it. This is Julia Child’s recipe, therefore foolproof if you do exactly what it says.
It’s delicious with seafood but would also work with chicken or roasted veggies. Almost anything really. I’d probably skip the straining step because I’m not that fancy.
Burre Blanc Sauce 3 sticks cold unsalted butter (24 tbsp.), cut into chunks 1/4 cup dry white wine (like Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay) 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1 tbsp minced shallots 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Pinch of white pepper 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice Have but ter r eady, already cut into chunks.
Bring wine and vinegar to a boil in a saucepan; add shallots, salt, and pepper. Lower heat to a simmer; cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. There should be about 1-1/2 tablespoon of liquid left. If reduced too far, add 1 tablespoon water to re-moisten.
Remove pan from heat; whisk 2 pieces of butter into the reduction. Set pan over low heat and continue whisking butter into sauce a chunk at a time, allowing each piece to melt into sauce before adding more.
Remove sauce from heat; whisk in lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, then strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. —kwc— And here’s a recipe to use the sauce with. This one only has three ingredients.
Shrimp Burre Blanc 1 lb. jumbo shr imp, peeled and deveined, tail on Kosher salt and ground white pepper, to taste Extra virgin olive oil, for sautéing Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with extra virgin olive oil, and heat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
Pat the peeled and deveined shrimp dry with pap er towels. Season lightly with kosher salt and white pepper.
Add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until light pink.
Prepare each plate by dividing the shrimp evenly. Drizzle generously with the Lemon Beurre Blanc sauce. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.
—kwc— And one more using salmon. We always have it grilled at home but have never had a burre blanc sauce with it. When dad heals from his hip surgery I will have to make some while he does the grilling.
Crispy Salmon with Burre Blanc 1-1/2 pounds salmon, skin on, cut into 4 fillets Kosher salt, as needed Freshly ground black pepper, as needed 1/4 cup cornstarch 3 tablespoons olive oil Thoroughly dr y the salmon with paper towels, especially the skin, then season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle all over with the cornstarch including the skin, shaking off any excess.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and heat until the oil is shiny.
Working in batches if needed, add the salmon to the pan skin-side down. Use a fish spatula to apply firm, even pressure to the fillets so the skin crisps evenly. Cook until the skin is crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Flip and lower the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until the fish is nearly opaque and just barely cooked through, about an additional 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining fillets if needed.
Plate the filets of salmon. Ladle the beurre blanc over the top and serve immediately. (Or cover the plate with burre blanc and serve the salmon on top of it, which is what I would do.)
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