Beurre Blanc (Classic French Butter Sauce)

By Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey

Beurre Blanc (Classic French Butter Sauce)
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(522)
Comments
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This is a classic butter sauce. It works well with fish. It’s flexible, too, and can take on flavors like chile, ginger and mustard.

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Ingredients

Yield:About one cup
  • 1tablespoon butter
  • ¼cup finely chopped shallots
  • 3tablespoons white-wine vinegar
  • 2tablespoons dry white wine
  • ⅓cup heavy cream
  • Salt to taste, if desired
  • 8tablespoons butter, cut into 12 pieces
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

624 calories; 66 grams fat; 41 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 374 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and add the shallots. Cook briefly, stirring, and add the vinegar and wine. Cook until the liquid is almost totally reduced.

  2. Step 2

    Add the heavy cream and salt and bring to the boil. Add the pieces of butter, a few at a time, stirring rapidly with a wire whisk.

Ratings

4 out of 5
522 user ratings
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Comments

Chef Michelin

KEY INFO that is omitted!

Turn DOWN heat to med/low when adding the butter so that you dont end up with Beurre Marron!

Due to the acid in the vinegar your sauce can 'break' if heated too hot or too many times or not whisked while heating. As a caterer, I try to make an hour prior to use. IF client changes the timeline during the dinner/event I can reheat over low heat.

TWR

Salted or unsalted butter?

Zerkle

Cold butter is a must

Mia7423

Can I substitute fresh lemon juice for the white wine vinegar?

Fred

Stick with me. At the very end, add like two tablespoons of finely minced kimchi to this sauce. Holy God. Pump this into my veins.

Eric

Good flavor but wish I’d read previous comments about reducing butter to 6 tbsp - consistency was way too think and even using high quality butter, the fat was overwhelming. That being said, a good base recipe to work from

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