Buerre Blanc is a revelation!

Beurre Blanc.  Beurre Blanc... is perfection.  Beurre Blanc means "white butter" and is a rich, hot butter sauce made with a reduction of vinegar and white wine and shallots (onions) into which cold, whole butter is blended off the heat to prevent separation.  The result of which... is pure bliss!  Poured over fish it transforms the taste beyond anything I've every had!  It is heaven in the mouth.  You can thicken it with cream if you prefer, but we like it without.    You can use it with anything really, we've added over-top eggs, over pasta, chicken, any type of fish, vegetables... well really, it's butter, intensified, what could taste better? 

My lovely husband gave me Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", volumes 1 and 2, for valentines day.  We don't normally celebrate the Hallmark holiday, so after giving him a bit of heck, I burst into tears.  That man knows his way to my heart :)  The recipe as per Julia:

Yield: 1.25 cup

•  ¼ cup white-wine vinegar  
•  ¼cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth  
•  1tablespoon finely minced shallots or scallions  
•   Salt and freshly ground white pepper  
•   8 to 12 ounces 1 to 1 ½ cups, or 2 to 3 sticks chilled best-quality unsalted butter, cut into 16 or 24 pieces  (***I use salted butter)

In small saucepan heat liquids to a boil, adding shallot and white pepper. Boil down to a syrupy glaze.
Remove pan from heat and whip in two lumps of butter, then two more.  Set pan over very low heat and continue to add butter as soon as the last lump has been absorbed.  It should be smooth like mayonnaise, and the butter should not melt.

Leftover sauce. It will congeal. Use like flavored butter, or heat it a little bit at a time, as for Hollandaise: …set a small saucepan in another sauce- pan of warm water, and stir the sauce by spoonfuls into the small pan, warming it a bit at a time.

It is soooooo easy to make, and so wonderful!  Try it, you will love it!!!!  

Danette