📍 Where this dish comes from: Paris · The Seine
Discover the history of this region →
Discover the history of this region →
The Loire Valley’s great butter sauce — a luminous, glossy emulsion of cold butter whisked into a shallot and white wine reduction, yielding a pale, creamy sauce of extraordinary delicacy. Beurre blanc is entirely butter, wine, and shallots — naturally keto and one of the most magical transformations in French cooking.
What You’ll Need
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 260kcal
Ingredients
- 250 g cold unsalted butter cut into 1cm cubes
- 3 shallots very finely minced
- 100 ml dry white wine (Muscadet)
- 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream (for stability)
- Salt, white pepper
Instructions
- Combine shallots, wine, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Reduce over medium heat until only 2–3 tablespoons remain.
- Add cream and reduce by half.
- Reduce heat to low. Begin adding cold butter cubes one at a time, whisking constantly.
- The sauce should mount into a creamy, glossy emulsion as each cube melts.
- Add butter continuously — never let the sauce boil.
- Season with salt and white pepper.
- Strain out shallots if desired, or leave for texture. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 260kcal | Protein: 2g | Fat: 28g
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Health Benefits
- Beurre blanc provides butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid studied for its role in colon health.
- The emulsification process helps make butter’s fat-soluble vitamins more available for absorption.
- Shallots in the reduction provide quercetin and fructooligosaccharides even after reduction.