Crystal Beurre Blanc Food

CHEF JOHN'S BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Place wine, lemon juice, cream, shallots, and cream in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and let simmer until liquid is reduced by about 75%, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and whisk in about 2 cubes of butter. Keep butter moving until it melts. When melted, add a few more cubes, whisking continuously so butter emulsifies into the wine/lemon juice mixture.
• Continue to add butter, a few cubes at a time until all of it has been incorporated and the sauce has a thick, luxurious texture, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Taste for seasonings and add a pinch of salt and cayenne, if desired. Serve immediately.

CRAB CAKES WITH CRYSTAL BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• For the crab cakes: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for crab cakes. Gently mix to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, make 8 balls and place on a baking sheet or large plate. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (If crab is very fresh, this may be done a day ahead of time.)
• For the Crystal beurre blanc: In a small saucepan, combine hot sauce, lemon and wine. Bring to boil over high heat, then simmer until reduced by a third, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cream and again reduce by a third, about 5 minutes. Lower heat and whisk in butter a few pieces at a time, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding next. Pour sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and add salt to taste. If desired, keep warm over a double-boiler.
• For the spinach base: For the spinach base: Place a large skillet over medium heat, and heat butter and olive oil in it. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach in batches, stirring and adding more until it all cooks down. Season to taste with salt and pepper, set aside and keep warm.
• For frying: Line up three shallow bowls. Place flour in one and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place eggs and milk in the second bowl; beat until mixed. Put bread crumbs in the third. Pat crab cakes into thick disks, like oversize scallops. Dip each into flour mixture, then egg mixture, then roll in bread crumbs. Set on a plate and chill for 30 minutes.
• Place a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to come 1/2 inch up side of pan. When oil shimmers, add crab cakes. Cook, turning once, until light golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes a side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• To serve, place a mound of spinach on each of four serving plates. Place 2 crab cakes next to spinach and pour sauce around them. If desired, serve with more hot sauce.

BEURRE BLANC (CLASSIC FRENCH BUTTER SAUCE)

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and add the shallots. Cook briefly, stirring, and add the vinegar and wine. Cook until the liquid is almost totally reduced.
• Add the heavy cream and salt and bring to the boil. Add the pieces of butter, a few at a time, stirring rapidly with a wire whisk.

BASIC BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Please include direction to work quickly and not to overheat mixture as sauce is likely to ?break,? separate.
• In a saucepan combine vinegar, wine and shallots. Over low to medium heat reduce mixture to about 1 tablespoon of product. Mixture will become like a jam.
• Over low heat add dots of cold butter while continually whisking. Continue to add, mount, butter quickly, barely allowing for previously added butter to melt. Mixture will appear frothy and creamy.
• Strain sauce (optional). Season with salt and pepper to taste Serve over steamed asparagus

CRYSTAL BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Cook the hot sauce in a saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to a syrupy consistency, whisking constantly to avoid burning.
• Whisk in the cream and reduce the heat to low.
• Add the butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly to incorporate completely after each addition.
• Cook until completely smooth, whisking constantly to keep the mixture from breaking.
• Serve.

BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Boil the vinegar, wine and shallots until reduced to 3 tablespoons. Remove from the heat and beat in the butter a piece at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Strain and serve.

RAYMOND BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Combine the shallots, white wine, and lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan over high heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons.
• Add the cream to the reduction. Once the liquid bubbles, reduce the heat to low. Add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking first on the heat and then off the heat. Continue whisking butter into the reduction until the mixture is fully emulsified and has reached a rich sauce consistency. Season with salt and white pepper. Store beurre blanc in a thermos until ready to serve.

CLASSIC BEURRE BLANC: WHITE BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine vinegar, wine, shallots, lemon, and bay leaves to make an infusion. Simmer over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes until the mixture is reduced to a wet paste, about 2 tablespoons. Add the cream and continue to simmer until reduced again to about 2 tablespoons. Cream is added to make the sauce more stable and less likely to separate.
• Reduce the heat to low and remove the bay leaves. Whisk in the chunks of butter in small batches. The butter should melt without the sauce getting too hot, producing a creamy emulsified sauce. Do not let the sauce go over 130 degrees F, where it will separate. If the sauce starts to break, remove from heat, add 2 ice cubes and whisk until it cools down and comes back together. Season with salt and pepper, fold in the chives, and serve immediately. Keep covered in a warm place for a few hours, if needed.
• Serve with fish or vegetables.

DEVILED CRAB BOULES WITH BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375f degrees.
• To prepare boules, hollow out each roll, leaving about a 1/4 inch thick shell, reserve torn bread for another use.
• Place bread shells on baking sheet.
• Bake at 375f degrees for 5 minutes, remove from oven,set aside.
• To prepare deviled crab, combine 2 tablespoons chopped green onions, 1/4 cup wine, and garlic in a small saucepan, bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, stir in mayonnaise, mustard, red pepper, and paprika.
• Add 2 tablespoon chopped green onion and crab, toss gently to combine.
• Spoon crab mixture evenly into bread shells.
• Bake at 375f degrees for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
• To prepare beurre blanc, combine 2 tablespoons broth, shallots, 1/4 cup wine, vinegar, and bay leaf in a small caucepan, pring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 3 minutes).
• Drain through a fine sieve into a bowl, reserving liquid, discard solids.
• Return wine mixture to pan.
• Combine remaining broth and cornstarch, stirring well with a whisk; stir into wine mixture.
• Bring to a boil, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat; add butter, stirring until butter melts.
• Stir in juice and black pepper.
• Serve beurre blanc immediately over warm boules.
• Garnish with julienne cut green onions, if desired.

ROASTED GARLIC AND HERB BEURRE BLANC - AN AMAZING SAUCE

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium temperature, combine the wine, shallots, and garlic, and reduce until the wine just covers the shallots.
• Add the cream or half and half and reduce again until the mixture is thick and syrupy, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce the temperature to very low and gradually whisk the pieces of butter into the mixture, one cube at a time (alternately, you can remove it from the heat and - using an immersion blender - emulsify the butter into it one piece at a time; this is the method we used during class).
• Do not allow the sauce to become either too hot or too cold or it will break.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, stir in the remaining ingredients (the herbs), and serve immediately.
• Note: we've served this over pork, chicken, rabbit, and vegetables - delicious!
• Also, feel free to experiment with other herbs than listed above.

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.

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.