Let’s talk about sauces. Growing up, I was enamored of the hollandaise sauce that came with my father’s steak. It was a special occasion sauce, reserved for birthdays and anniversaries. It’s no wonder I never even considered trying to make it—that glorious concoction was reserved for the chefs of fine restaurants. Fast forward to the pandemic, and no restaurants to enjoy delightful sauces. I ventured out on my own, and here’s my favorite so far, a simple, easy Beurre Blanc from Epicurious, with a few adjustments from me. I’ve been putting it over steak, fish, shrimp, veggies, anything I can drizzle it on to make a regular meal into something truly special.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dry white wine

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (minced onion also works)

• 1/3 cup heavy cream

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled

Directions:

1. Boil wine, vinegar, and shallot in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until liquid is syrupy and reduced to 2 to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes.

2. Add cream, salt, and white pepper and boil 1 minute.

3. Reduce heat to moderately low and add a few tablespoons butter, whisking constantly.

4. Add remaining butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly and adding new pieces before previous ones have completely liquefied (the sauce should maintain consistency of hollandaise), lifting pan from heat occasionally to cool mixture.

5. Remove from heat, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce through a medium-mesh sieve into a sauceboat, pressing on and then discarding shallot. Serve immediately.

Note: This does not reheat well, for the emulsion will be broken. If you need less, half the recipe instead of making some for leftovers.

Yield: about 1 cup

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This recipe was originally shared on J.T. Ellison’s newsletter.