Classic Beurre Blanc

One of the best things I did this week was make a classic beurre blanc with a white wine reduction. I had hastily done this in Chef Pernell's 270 class two semesters ago, so it was awesome to be able to do it again under the supervision of an extremely knowledgeable chef with a discerning palette. I know I like to talk about bacon and butter a lot, but really, both bring so much flavor to a dish and are hard to mess up. Beurre Blanc starts with a white wine reduction to condense all of the flavors to get ready for adding the cream and butter, making the sauce. It is smooth and dark tasting, creamy and has good emulsion so coats your spoon/food/belly especially well. I made a batch big enough for a few serving trays of lobster saute, so I will try to remember the quantities my chef gave me for scaling it down.

For the reduction:
2 cups white wine (we used a 2008 Kali Hart Monterrey County Chardonnay)
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 shallot, roughly chopped
3 whole peppercorns
other things you like (a wild mushroom? pick depending on the dish. if it is a seafood dish, try crab shells to just barely give a hint of crab to the sauce - just make sure they are BIG so they strain out!)

Throw in all the elements for the reduction and bring to a hard boil on high heat - for as long as it takes to reduce a sec (almost completely dry). There should be just a teensy bit of liquid/wine left in the sauce pan and all of those chunks of garlic, shallot, peppercorn, etc. should be absolutely saturated with all of the flavor from the wine (why you should not use a cheap wine to cook with - I know this from experience, see Julia Child's Boeuf Bourgignon). Remove from heat and let sit for as long as you need to.

For finishing the sauce:

2 c. heavy cream
1/3 lb. whole butter, chunked

Put saucepan on medium high heat and pour in a 1-2 cups of heavy cream. Let boil rapidly until the cream is not just boiling with "little bubbles" but has wide strong bubbles. This means the cream is reducing and it is letting out the air. When the cream is boiling with big bubbles take it off the heat and whisk in a few chunks of butter at a time until all the butter is fully incorporated.
In a china cap, sieve or spider (china cap is best), strain sauce into a new sauce pan or serving bowl to remove elements from the reduction. Salt and pepper to taste - voi la! you have a classic butter sauce to add to chicken, lobster, pasta, whatever your little heart desires (or, if in early French cuisine, to cover up spoiled meat).

bon appetit

Cauliflower & Broccoli Pasta in a Beurre Blanc (of sorts)

Mmm...broccoli. Cauliflower. Butter. Cream. Some of the best and worst ingredients, nonetheless, some of my favorite. I got my second and last installment of my food club's monthly co-op - last because, well, we doubt the existence of an actual farm from these people. More on that later.

In my basket was a head of broccoli, a head of cauliflower and a shallot. We had some whole wheat pasta, some butter, some cream, some cream cheese - so I got to work.

Cauliflower & Broccoli in White Sauce

Shallot - chop finely
Broccoli - chop into larger bite-sized pieces (I like to use the stem)
Cauliflower - also chop into larger bite-sized pieces (I do not use the stem..stalk..whatever you call it)

In butter, saute the shallot, broccoli and cauliflower, adding some salt and pepper (and I like to add red pepper flakes). With slotted spoon, transfer saute to a mixing bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, cook whole wheat pasta (I used angel hair. Linguine would have been better. Penne would have been acceptable).

In the same pan, melt a stick of butter, adding white wine, some salt and lots of pepper, heat thoroughly. Stir in a cup or two of whipping cream, let simmer for just 1 or 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. I know getting crispy edges is not restaurant-quality but when I am making a sauce with things to add to it, I like to let the sauce brown around the edges just a tad. I think it gives a certain strength which white sauce can often lack. The French would probably be ashamed.

At the end, stir in a generous spoonful or two of cream cheese. Taste and see what needs to be added - I like fresh ground pepper, lots.

Once sauce is thick, add back in vegetable saute - coating well. Serve pasta into bowls and ladle a generous portion of fresh cooked veggies and white sauce onto pasta.

Bon appetit