Skip to Content

Beurre Blanc | An Easy & Classic French White Sauce

Beurre Blanc is a white, velvety butter sauce which originated in France. It has only 3 ingredients and cooks up fast. Shallots are reduced in vinegar and butter is emulsified in the reduction. It is a bold but light sauce that is great with fish, chicken and vegetables. A real French classic from the Loire Valley.

Beurre Blanc | A French white butter sauce. A quick and easy recipe, this sauce is great with fish, chicken and vegetables. Try this the next time you are craving some classic French cuisine.

I am quite smitten with French food.  It’s the classic basis for Western cuisine.  You probably cook French food without realizing it.

Have you ever made biscuits and gravy or mac and cheese from scratch?  The gravy and cheese sauces are classic French sauces.  We have the French to thank for some of our cuisine in the US.

I am loving my cookbook collection, especially the French ones.  The first one I ever had was Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  I love the story telling the ladies did around the recipes, especially the instructions.  It feels like Julia is cooking there right along side of you.

I also love La Mere Brazier: The Mother of Modern French Cooking.  This is an English translation of an old cookbook from a famous female chef in Lyon, France.  Eugenie Brazier was the first woman to earn 3 Michelin stars and the first chef ever to earn 6.  She transformed Lyon into a gastronomical destination.  Madame Brazier leaves some of the translation to the reader by leaving some of her instructions vague.  I have learned a lot reading her book and enjoyed making Gratin de Macaronis.

My most recent acquisition was from a second hand store, which is where I get 95% of my cookbooks.  It’s like a treasure hunt and I hit gold on this particular trip.   French Classics Made Easy by Richard Grausman is a fabulous cookbook.  He explains the why’s and he gives you ideas on how to be creative with his recipes.  If you are a new cook or are a bit uneasy at the thought of cooking French food, this book is a good one to start with.  His detailed, step-by-step instructions are just what I need when I am learning something new.

Today’s recipe is adapted from French Classics Made Easy.  It is called Beurre Blanc, a classic white, velvety butter sauce that has only 3 ingredients for the basic variation.  You have the option to add herbs after the vinegar reduction.  Yep, vinegar!  Who knew vinegar, shallots and butter could be soooooo good?!  I didn’t.

This sauce was invented in the Loire Valley, France at the beginning of the 20th century.  Legend has it that it was an accident.  The chef was attempting to make a bernaise sauce but forgot to add the tarragon and egg yolk.  Oh those chefs!

I served this sauce on poached cod (the last picture).  Poaching is easy and doesn’t stink up your kitchen.  The firmer fishes can stand up to poaching, I don’t think I would try this on Tilapia but if you do, let me know how it turned out.  To poach fish simply simmer enough water in a large skillet or dutch oven to barely cover the fish.  You want the water to barely simmer, otherwise the motion from a boil could tear your fish apart.  Just simmer for 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness.  I add a little vinegar or lemon juice to the water, this helps if your fish isn’t very fresh.

I used red shallots because that is all my market had which gave my sauce a pinkish hue.

Beurre Blanc | A French white butter sauce. A quick and easy recipe, this sauce is great with fish, chicken and vegetables. Try this the next time you are craving some classic French cuisine.
Beurre Blanc | A French white butter sauce. A quick and easy recipe, this sauce is great with fish, chicken and vegetables. Try this the next time you are craving some classic French cuisine.
Beurre Blanc | A French white butter sauce. A quick and easy recipe, this sauce is great with fish, chicken and vegetables. Try this the next time you are craving some classic French cuisine.

Did you make this recipe?  Don’t forget to rate the recipe and comment below!  Take a picture and tag us @FusionCraftiness #FusionCraftiness on Instagram for a chance to be featured in our Insta Stories:)

Beurre Blanc | A French white butter sauce. A quick and easy recipe, this sauce is great with fish, chicken and vegetables. Try this the next time you are craving some classic French cuisine.

Beurre Blanc

Yield: 1.5 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

A velvety white butter sauce from France. Great for fish, chicken and vegetables. One of the Mother Sauces you should know how to make. Just a few ingredients, too easy!

Ingredients

  • 2 shallots, minced, preferably yellow
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 16 Tbs butter, preferably at room temperature

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, add first two ingredients and cook on medium low until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. At this point you may add optional herbs.
  2. Turn off heat and add butter in 1 Tbs increments. Add the butter just before the one before the one before melts, continuously stirring or whisking. Keep sauce warm until serving in a warm water bath.

Notes

Overheating this sauce will cause it to separate. You will lose the velvety texture of the sauce and you will end up with shallot flavored ghee. You can add cream when you add butter to help stabilize is you wish. I did not have any trouble with this sauce.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 3 Tbs
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 214Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 184mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

3 Minute Sardine Pate

3 minute sardine pate

Oeufs Brouilles

Creamy French style scrambled eggs-Oeufs Brouilles

Poulet Poele L A’estragon

Poulet Poele A L'Estragon, Julia Childs Casserole Roasted Chicken. Easy and tasty with many layers of flavors, I had fun making this! | FusionCraftiness.com

Gratin de Macaroni

Gratin Macaroni inspired by Eugenia Brazier
Click here to cancel reply.

francine jacobson

Wednesday 3rd of February 2021

You make it sound easy but it is not!!

Hannah

Thursday 2nd of January 2020

I felt so fancy making this sauce and yet it was so easy!! We tried it on sautéd Tilapia which was delicious.

Tina

Friday 3rd of January 2020

I think I used it on Tilapia too! I think it's perfect for that since it's such a sharp sauce on mostly a tasteless fish. I'm glad you liked it Hannah:)

Bianca

Saturday 31st of March 2018

I'm going to try this on white fish. It looks like it will give it just the right zing. Excited about this one!

Skip to Recipe