The beurres

Tilapia with lemon shallot beurre blanc

Tilapia with lemon shallot beurre noisette.

I am an avid fan of cooking shows... Alton, Ina, Anthony, they are all my TV buds and my inspiration.  This is tricky since I haven't had cable tv for the past 2 years, but I am getting off track.  Regardless, the show that has made the biggest impression on me is Alton Brown's Good Eats.  His shows were lessons in gastronomy and have taught me quite a bit...plus, he never fails to make me laugh. It is because of this that I chose his recipe and guidance for my very first attempt at the infamous sauce, Beurre Blanc.

  I have tasted many a beurre blanc at Sensi and have watched several videos on how it is done.  It is delicious, no doubt.  It's the battle of white wine, lemon juice, butter, and cream that scared me.  How could this be done without curdling?  In terms of the other beurre colors, noir and noisette, the task is a bit simpler.  As long as you don't burn them into oblivion, they're going to taste pretty darned wonderful.

Clockwise from left: Cream, salt, pepper, parsley, white wine, lemon, tilapia, shallots, butter.

Get everything you need together (mis en place).  The photo above shows the ingredients needed for beurre blanc.

1 Tilapia fillet
1 minced shallot
1/2 c white wine
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cream
6 tbsp cold butter
salt, pepper, and parsley to taste

Season with salt and pepper and pan sear the tilapia in olive oil on med high heat to create a nice crust on the outside of the fish. (I cut the fillet in half down the middle.  One side is always thinner than the other.)

Place in oven on broil in a foil packet to continue cooking while you make you sauce.

Add shallots, white wine, and lemon juice to a pan on high heat and cook for 3 minutes to reduce the liquid.

Once reduced, add the tbsp of cream and let bubble.  Reduce the heat to low.  Then, start adding the butter one tbsp at a time, whisking to incorporate.  *** This is the tricky part!  The idea is to not let the butter completely melt, but just to soften it to a stage somewhere between liquid and solid.  To achieve this, take the pan on and off the heat to regulate the temperature.  You never want to let the butter bubble.***

 

 

Once incorporated, your sauce should look a little something like this.  Thick and smooth (besides the shallots).  Add parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.  

 

 

  Serve the sauce on top of your fish like my photo at the beginning of this post.  I chose to eat mine with baby lettuce, grape tomatoes, rice wine vinegar, and olive oil.  If you've never tried rice wine vinegar as a salad dressing, you're missing out.  It's sweet and tangy and when combined with olive oil, salt, and pepper, it's ridiculous.  Also try adding balsamic vinegar and/or pesto to the dressing.  You really can't go wrong.

The beurre noisette recipe is quite a bit simpler.  

-Brown 3 tablespoons of butter in a pan on med-high heat until it starts to have a nutty smell. 

-Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and 1 diced shallot and cook on reduced heat until the shallots are softened.

-Add grape tomato halves for only a minute just to soften and warm them.

-Serve over the same pan seared fish as the beurre blanc.

The only difference between noisette and noir is that you take the butter just a few minutes further on med-high heat and darken it slightly more.  This gives it a slightly more complex flavor.  I haven't tried making it it yet, but it sounds like it would work better with unsalted and/or clarified butter.   I have eaten it, thought and it's delish!

 

You don't have to use tilapia.  I do because funds are tight, you feel me.  I know for sure that any butter sauce is good on flounder and salmon.  You can also use any of these sauces on veggies, specifically broccoli and asparagus.

Alright!  That was a mighty long first post, but you basically get 3 recipes in one!  Plus some dressing tips!  So, there are the beurres.  I haven't exactly mastered them yet, but I have made edible versions and will continue on to experimenting with them on friends.

P.S.  Just signed my lease to keep this place for another year! (All to myself!!)  Dinner party soon?  OH YES.

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