--- title: "Beurre blanc: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "Beurre blanc is a French butter sauce made by whisking cold butter into a wine and shallot reduction. It is light, tangy and made for fish and vegetables." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/beurre-blanc" --- # Beurre blanc Beurre blanc is a French butter sauce made by whisking cold butter into a wine and shallot reduction. It is light, tangy and made for fish and vegetables. Also called White butter sauce, Beurre nantais. Beurre blanc, French for "white butter", is a warm sauce made by whisking cold butter into a small amount of reduced white wine, vinegar and [shallot](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/shallot). It has no egg and no flour. The result is pale, glossy and tangy, and it is a classic partner for fish, shellfish, asparagus and leeks. ## How to do it 1. In a small pan, simmer 60 ml (1/4 cup) dry white wine, 60 ml (1/4 cup) white wine vinegar and 1 finely chopped shallot until only about 2 tablespoons of liquid remain. 2. Lower the heat to very low. Add 1 tablespoon of cream if you want a sturdier sauce. 3. Whisk in 200 g (about 14 tablespoons) of cold butter, cut in cubes, a few pieces at a time. Add the next pieces only once the last ones have melted into the sauce. 4. Season with salt and white pepper. Strain out the shallot if you want it smooth. ## How to tell it is done The sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon lightly, looks opaque and creamy, and has no pools of clear fat. ## Why it works Butter is already an [emulsion](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/emulsion) of fat, water and milk solids. When cold butter melts slowly into a warm, acidic liquid, the milk proteins keep the fat spread in tiny droplets, so the sauce stays creamy. This is the same method as [monter au beurre](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/monter-au-beurre), just with much more butter. ## Common mistakes * Letting the sauce get too hot. Above about 60°C (140°F) it starts to [split](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/split-sauce) into oil and liquid. * Letting it get too cold, so the butter firms up. Keep it warm in a thermos or a bowl over warm water. * Adding the butter all at once. * Reducing too little, which gives a thin, sharp sauce. If it breaks, whisk a tablespoon of cold cream or water in a clean pan and slowly whisk the broken sauce back into it. ## Where it comes from Beurre blanc comes from the Loire Valley around Nantes, where it was served with river fish such as pike. ## Beurre blanc recipes 1 recipe from the sites we collect. * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2024/07/Beurre-Blanc-Hero-7.jpg)Beurre Blancwww.onceuponachef.com](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/beurre-blanc.html) ## Related terms * [Monter au beurreMonter au beurre means swirling cold butter into a warm sauce at the end of cooking. It makes a pan sauce glossy, silky and slightly thicker in a minute.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/monter-au-beurre) * [ReduceTo reduce is to simmer or boil a liquid uncovered so water evaporates, leaving a smaller amount that is thicker and more intense in flavor.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/reduce) * [EmulsionAn emulsion is a mix of oil and water, which normally do not blend, held together as tiny drops. Mayonnaise and vinaigrette are emulsions.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/emulsion) * [Split sauceA split sauce is an emulsion, like mayonnaise or hollandaise, that has separated into fat and thin liquid. Here is why it happens and how to fix it.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/split-sauce) * [ShallotA shallot is a small, mild onion that grows in clusters, sweeter and gentler than a regular onion. Here is how to use it and what to swap in for it.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/shallot) [More in sauces and stocks](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/sauces-and-stocks)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)