Beurre Blanc Sauce
This Beurre Blanc Sauce is a creamy white wine butter sauce I make with shallots, white wine, vinegar, and unsalted butter. It’s simple to prepare in just 15 minutes and always adds a touch of elegance to fish, vegetables, pork, or chicken.
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ peeled small diced shallot
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, cut up
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Add the white wine, vinegar, and shallots to a medium-size saucepot and cook over low to medium heat until there are about 2 tablespoons of liquid left.
- Add in the butter and immediately begin to vigorously whisk the mixture until the butter is almost completely melted.
- Remove from the heat and whisk until the mixture becomes melted and smooth.
- Season with salt and optionally strain and serve.
Notes
To help keep the sauce from breaking and hold it warm for longer, I recommend adding half a cup of heavy whipping cream after reducing the white wine and vinegar to about two tablespoons. Let it cook over low to medium heat until it thickens to a texture similar to Alfredo sauce. From there, continue with the usual steps, add the butter, whisk until smooth, season, strain if you’d like, and serve.
Prep ahead: I like to have all my ingredients measured and ready before I start. Once the reduction is done, things move fast.
Au sec: When there’s just a small amount of liquid left after reducing the wine, vinegar, and shallots, that’s called au sec. It means "almost dry" and it’s the perfect stage to start adding the butter.
No straining: I don’t always strain the sauce. The shallots add great flavor and a little texture I actually enjoy.
Lemon variation: For a lemony twist, I squeeze in about half a lemon right at the end while whisking. It brightens up the sauce in a really nice way.
Make-Ahead: I don’t usually make beurre Blanc too far ahead because it’s best served fresh and warm.
How to Store: Leftovers don’t reheat well since the sauce can break, so I try to make just what I’ll use in the moment.
Nutrition
Calories: 217kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 4mgPotassium: 23mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 708IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg