Beurre Blanc
Beurre blanc is the classic butter sauce of the Loire Valley, and its name simply means white butter. A sharp reduction of wine, lemon and shallot is whisked with cold butter until it turns pale, creamy and tangy. Traditionally it is spooned over river fish such as trout or pike. Once you can keep the emulsion together, the same method takes herbs and other flavorings well.
Instructions
Put the white wine, lemon juice and minced shallots in a non-reactive saucepan, such as stainless steel, ceramic or enamel, because the acid will react with other metals.
Boil the mixture until it has reduced to about 2 tablespoons. A hard boil does no harm here. The shallot should still look moist when you are done, and if the pan is dry the sauce will probably not hold together.
Turn the heat down to low. If you want extra insurance that the sauce will stay emulsified, stir in the tablespoon of heavy cream now, though traditional French cooks would not approve.
Start adding the cold butter a cube or two at a time, whisking hard. Keep the sauce below 200°F (95°C), so lift the pan off the heat for part of the whisking. Add more butter only as the previous pieces melt in, until all of it is used.
Season with salt and white pepper and serve right away. You can hold the sauce in a vacuum flask such as a Thermos, but only for a short time.
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