The French lean pretty heavily on butter—and we let them, because they do wonderful things with it. Beurre blanc, for example, is a sauce made with a shallot-infused wine and vinegar reduction, a healthy slug of cream, and two whole sticks of butter. Of course it tastes good—all creamy, tangy, and rich—but you can give it some autumnal flair by supplementing the shallots with apples and sage, and swapping the wine out for whiskey.
But before we get into modifications, let’s talk about what makes beurre blanc so indulgent. There’s a lot of butter, sure, but if you’ve ever melted butter in a pan, you’ve probably noticed that it doesn’t usually stay smooth and homogenous. Butter is an emulsion, and when melted, the emulsion breaks. If, however, you slowly melt butter in another liquid—in this case cream, but water works too—you force tiny droplets of fat into a stable, suspended state, so you end up with a brand new emulsion, and a creamy, instead of greasy, sauce.
How to make beurre blanc
Like all French things, beurre blanc is a lot more accessible than it sounds. Simmer some diced shallot in a mixture of vinegar and dry white wine, until the liquid is reduced down to nearly dry. Add some cream, boil it briefly, and gradually whisk chunks of butter into the cream mixture until it’s all melted and emulsified. It’s gorgeous, frankly.
How to modify a beurre blanc
The easiest way to modify this classic French sauce is to supplement (or replace) the shallots with other flavorful and aromatic ingredients, or swap out the wine and/or the vinegar. You can also use less butter—one stick rather than two—but you owe it to yourself to try it with the full amount. One only lives once and all of that.
I made a fall-flavored beurre blanc by simmering shallots, apple, and sage in a mixture of rye whiskey and apple cider vinegar (rather than the usual dry white wine and white-wine vinegar). It was a little fruitier, tangier, and earthier, but still creamy, decadent, and surprisingly refined. If those flavors don’t work for you, you can swap them out for other alliums (like garlic and onion), herbs, and fruits, or add ginger, mustard, or spicy chili peppers.
Autumnal Beurre Blanc
Ingredients:
- 1 small shallot, finely diced
- 1/2 an apple diced,
- 6 sage leaves sliced into ribbons (chiffonade them)
- 1/2 cup whiskey of choice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup cream
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 sticks cold butter, cut into 16 pieces
Add the shallot, apple, sage, whiskey, and vinegar to a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Boil until the liquids reduce almost completely; the shallots and apples should look wet, but only a couple of tablespoons of liquid should pool when you tilt the pan.
Whisk the salt and pepper into the cream, then add the cream to the shallot mixture and let it boil for one minute. Reduce to low (or turn off completely if using an electric burner), and add a two or three pieces of butter, whisking continuously. Once the butter is almost completely melted, add a few more pieces, always whisking, until the all of the butter has been incorporate. Serve immediately, over roasted vegetables, with chicken, pork, or fish, or tossed with hot pasta (and a little starchy pasta water).
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