Berre Blanc Almond Crusted Halibut Food

ALMOND-CRUSTED HALIBUT WITH BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• For beurre blanc: In a small heavy saucepan boil wine, vinegar, shallot, thyme, bay leaf and pepper to taste until liquid is evaporated.
• Add crème fraîche and boil until reduced by half.
• Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, lifting pan off heat occasionally to cool mixture and adding each new piece before previous one has melted completely. (Do not allow sauce to simmer; it should not get hot enough to separate.)
• Strain sauce through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl and add chives, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Keep beurre blanc warm by setting bowl in a larger pan of very warm water.
• For the halibut: Preheat broiler.
• Pat halibut fillets dry and season with salt and pepper.
• In a large non-stick skillet heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté fillets in 2 batches 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden and just cooked through.
• Transfer fillets as cooked with a slotted spatula to a baking sheet and cool 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl with a fork stir together breadcrumbs, almonds and remaining tablespoon butter.
• Brush tops of fillets with egg and spread with almond mixture.
• Broil fillets about 3 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes, or until browned.
• Arrange a fillet on each of 6 plates and spoon beurre blanc around it.

MUSTARD CRUSTED HALIBUT WITH BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Cut the butter in small cubes and put in a bowl. Set the bowl in ice water. (The butter should be very cold; otherwise it might melt too quickly and the sauce might break.) Place shallots in a medium stainless-steel saucepan. Add the white wine and wine vinegar. Boil the liquid over high heat until it is reduced to a scant 1 tablespoon. Just before serving, add the pieces of butter to the pan, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition, until it has all been used. (The sauce should be fairly thick.) Add a little lemon juice to the sauce to taste. Season with salt and white pepper. If you're a purist, you'll want to strain the shallots out of the sauce before serving. Some chefs prefer to leave the shallots in; if you're among them, you might also want to mix finely minced parsley or tarragon into the sauce. And some chefs like to bolster the sauce with a little creme fraiche just before serving it. Keep sauce warm until needed. This sauce can be made up to 1 hour in advance and kept in a bain marie over warm water.;
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Season fillets well with salt and pepper. Cover fillets with mustard and place into a roasting pan. Cook fillets at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to a plate and surround with beurre blanc. Serve.;

ALMOND-CRUSTED HALIBUT CRYSTAL SYMPHONY

Steps:

• Make beurre blanc: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine wine, vinegar, shallots, thyme and bay leaf. Boil until liquid has evaporated. Stir in cream, and boil until liquid is reduced by half; decrease heat to low. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, adding each new piece before previous one has melted completely. Do not allow sauce to simmer, or it may separate.
• Strain sauce through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl. Stir in chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Keep warm by setting bowl in a larger container of hot water.
• Preheat oven on broiler setting. Pat fillets dry, and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute halibut fillets for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned, and just cooked through. Transfer to a baking sheet, and cool 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together bread crumbs, almonds and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Brush tops of fillets with egg, and spread with almond mixture.
• Broil fillets 1 to 2 minutes, or until browned (watch closely - every broiler has its own personality!). Place fillets on individual plates, and spoon beurre blanc around it.

BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• In small saucepan, combine shallots, wine, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes.
• Turn down heat to lowest possible flame. Whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding a piece as previous one melts. Don't allow sauce to become too hot. For a more smooth sauce, strain through a fine sieve, if desired.
• Season with salt and pepper and keep over a bain-marie. Just before serving, stir in herbs.