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Beurre Blanc Recipe: How to Make French Butter Sauce

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Dec 11, 2024 • 1 min read

Beurre blanc may sound like a sauce that requires a French culinary degree to make, but it’s actually as easy to make as cubing up a stick of butter. It’s the emulsification of the butter that makes this sauce feathery light and the acid from white wine or vinegar balances out its richness.

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What Is Beurre Blanc?

Beurre blanc is a classic creamy French sauce that is made with butter, shallots, vinegar or white wine, and lemon juice. Spoon this silky, decadent sauce over fish or chicken, or try pooling it under pork chops.

How to Make Beurre Blanc

To make beurre blanc, reduce a combination of vinegar or white wine and shallots until nearly dry. Add cream to stabilize the sauce and aid in emulsification. Whisk in cold cubes of butter, piece by piece, until the mixture has thickened and emulsified. Strain the sauce to remove the shallots and season with white pepper. Serve warm.

Classic Beurre Blanc Recipe

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makes

about 1 cup

prep time

5 min

total time

20 min

cook time

15 min

Ingredients

This classic French sauce has a neutral flavor that goes well with a variety of dishes such as seafood, meat, and vegetables. The key to a good beurre blanc is keeping the butter cold and reducing the heat to low when whisking it in for a smooth and luxurious sauce.

  1. 1

    In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, boil wine, vinegar, and shallots until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 4–5 minutes. Add cream and boil for 1 minute.

  2. 2

    Reduce heat to low and add a few cubes of cold butter, whisking constantly. Add remaining pieces of butter little by little, whisking constantly until the sauce is the consistency of hollandaise and coats the back of a spoon.

  3. 3

    Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Pour sauce through a fine sieve to remove shallots. Serve warm.

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