Beurre Blanc

Name: Beurre Blanc
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup dry white wine; 1 1/4 cup white-wine vinegar; 1 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot; 1 1/3 cup heavy cream; 1 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 1/8 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste; 1 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter; 1 cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled

From the kitchen of Carly

Silky, luxurious beurre blanc starts with reduced wine and shallots, then cream and cold butter whisked into a glossy, pale sauce. The key is patience: add butter gradually, whisking constantly, to build an emulsion that coats fish or vegetables with pure richness.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

11/4 cup dry white wine
11/4 cup white-wine vinegar
12 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
11/3 cup heavy cream
11/4 teaspoon salt
11/8 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
12 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled

Instructions

Boil wine, vinegar, and shallot in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until liquid is syrupy and reduced to 2 to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Add cream, salt, and white pepper and boil 1 minute. Reduce heat to moderately low and add a few tablespoons butter, whisking constantly. Add remaining butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly and adding new pieces before previous ones have completely liquefied (the sauce should maintain consistency of hollandaise), lifting pan from heat occasionally to cool mixture.
Remove from heat, then season to taste with salt and pepper and pour sauce through a medium-mesh sieve into a sauceboat, pressing on and then discarding shallot. Serve immediately.