Beurre Monté

Ingredients

45g (3 Tbsp) water

113g (8 Tbsp) butter, cold

Directions

Bring water to gentle simmer.

Whisk in butter 1 piece at a time until it melts

Notes

Beurre monté is simply butter in sauce form, so it pairs well with a range of seasonings—sweet or savory. Here are ideas for varying its flavor.

Stock: Add savoriness by substituting stock (vegetable, chicken, dashi, etc.) for the water, being careful to account for salt in the stock when seasoning the sauce to taste.

Herbs: Whisk in 2 teaspoons minced fresh herbs. Hardy types such as rosemary can be added at the start of cooking, while delicate varieties such as tarragon should be added at the last minute so that they don’t brown.

Wine: iff on beurre blanc or beurre rouge by reducing 1/3 cup wine plus 1/4 teaspoon onion powder to 3 tablespoons and substituting it for the water. Season to taste with herbs (tarragon, thyme, rosemary), salt, and wine vinegar.

Preserves, booze, and juice: After adding the butter to the water, whisk in any combination of jam or jelly (11/2 tablespoons) and booze or juice (11/2 teaspoons). For example: raspberry jam and Chambord; apple jelly and brandy; plum preserves and amaretto.