Make an Unusual French Sauce Using Butter and Water

Ghee without any modifications or embellishments makes a damn good sauce, but whisk it with a little hot water and it becomes silkier, stickier and, surprisingly, creamier. The resulting sauce has a fancy French name, beurre monté, but this simple emulsification can be made by home cooks of any skill level.

What does “beurre monté” mean?

“Beurre monté” simply means “mounted oil”. The phrase is used to refer to both the technique and the sauce itself, but don’t let the French intimidate you. If you know how to whisk, you can make a sauce out of this.

Like mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce and butter itself, beurre monte is an emulsification—a mixture of two immiscible ingredients, one suspended in the other. When butter is melted, its emulsion breaks down, but whisking cold butter in hot water stabilizes the emulsion, keeping it creamy and stable when hot.

What can you do with Ber Monte?

Beurre monté is glossy and creamy and makes a great finishing sauce, but you can also use it as a poaching liquid for tender vegetables or shellfish. Simply prepare the sauce, add the ingredients and let them heat gently in a silky, rich sauce.

Beurre Monte recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons water
• 1-2 sticks butter, cut into tablespoons

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, then reduce heat to low. Beat in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a smooth sauce forms. Add the remaining butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, until all the butter is incorporated. Keep the sauce warm, but not hot, until ready to use. Heating the sauce above 180℉ will cause it to break down.

Stir into roasted vegetables, pour over fish, chicken or steak, or use beurre monte as a poaching liquid for delicate foods or seafood.