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compound butter sauces

Drawn butter is simply melted butter, with all the milk solids left in, which makes it very different from clarified butter. When drawn butter is spiced up a bit, it becomes compound butter.

Wikipedia

Compound butters (Fr. beurre composé, pl. beurres composés) are mixtures of butter and supplementary ingredients. Primarily, they are used to enhance flavor in various dishes, in a fashion similar to a sauce.

Compound butters can be made at home or purchased commercially. A compound butter can be made by whipping additional elements, such as herbs, spices or aromatic liquids, into melted butter. The butter is then reformed, usually in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and chilled until it is firm enough to be sliced. These butters can be melted on top of meats and vegetables, used as a spread or used to finish various sauces.

Warm beurres composés include:

• Beurre blanc
• Beurre au citron – lemon butter

Cold beurres composés include:

• Beurre à la bourguignonne — garlic and parsley butter
• Beurre Maitre d'Hotel — butter with parsley and lemon juice
• Café de Paris butter

 

a. parsleyed garlic butter sauce

2015-12-25 a.o.

aka. beurre à la Bourguignonne

Some people say not to use butter with crab, only to steam it. Others poach crabs and lobsters in butter.

This is my favorite sauce for lobster and crab. It's nothing too special, just melted butter with garlic and parsley, occasionally also chile. Of course, you have to like garlic for this. If you don’t, leave the garlic out, and enjoy it anyway.

• I finish snow crab in the sauce (Pic3) to get a very messy but finger-licking delicious dish. Use garlic, parsley, both or neither as you like best.
• With king crab, I serve it separately as a dipping sauce.
• Use also for escargots à la Bourguignonne and mushrooms à la Bourguignonne.

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 2 servings:

• 1 stick of butter (½ cup)
• S&P

optional:

• 2 tbsp. parsley / cilantro
• up to 6 garlic cloves, peeled, pressed

Pic1: snow crab in parsleyed garlic butter
 

Directions

2019-11-08

Pic2: chop parsley / cilantro
Pic3: mix
Pic4: garlic

Solid:

• Keep butter at room temperature until it is soft enough to mash with a fork.
• Chop / mince the parsley (Pic2) and garlic
• Add to the butter and mash parsley and garlic into the butter.
• Optional: mince in a food processor until very smooth to get a bright green parsley butter.
• Use a teaspoon or pastry bag to stuff the mushrooms. (Pic1-4)
  

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B. beure blanc

Beure blanc (Fr. white butter) is a bit more complicated. Some recipes leave the cream out, but those sauces often end up yellowish instead of white, like the name implies.

The process is very similar to beurre monté (mounted butter) but the butter is whisked into a heavy cream base instead of pure water.

 

Pic13: beurre blanc
Pic14: with scallops

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 1 cup:

• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped shallot
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• S&wP
• 1/2 lb. unsalted butter,
  cut small, chilled

Directions

• Simmer the shallots in a mixture of white wine and vinegar until the pot is very nearly dry.
• Reduce heat. Stir in the heavy cream.
  Do not boil after adding the cream. The sauce will break.
• Add the pieces of butter a few at a time, stirring rapidly with a wire whisk.
• Add S&wP to taste for a little bite.
• Strain to remove the exhausted shallots.
  Leave them in if you like the extra texture.
• Serve with seafood or meat. Enjoy.

 

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