Here is an excellent dish to put our beurre blanc sauce to good use. Sole is a flatfish, interestingly named after its resemblance to a sandal. Known for its mild flavor, sole is easy and quick to cook because of its thinness. Pair this with either potatoes or rice (and perhaps the leftover wine from the sauce!) and you’ve got yourself a great meal.

Ingredients

- 4 sole fillets (about 1 lbs)
- 1/2 flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 TBSP olive oil

Directions

- Prepare a beurre blanc sauce, but only add the butter when the sole is about cooked
- Rinse under cold water and pat the sole fillets dry with a paper towel
- Mix the flour, salt, and pepper on a plate
- Heat a large pan (large enough to fit the fillets) on medium with the olive oil
- When the oil is hot, coat the fillets on both sides in the flour and place in the hot pan
- Cook 4-5 minutes on each side
- Finish the beurre blanc sauce
- Serve immediately with beurre blanc and boiled potatoes (or rice)

Bon appétit!

© Pascal Belloncle for Home Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments

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Beurre Blanc is translated from French as “white butter.” This rich, light, and tangy sauce will complement many dishes, but is most often used with seafood. Making this sauce will require your constant attention, but in the end, will be worth your time.

Ingredients

- 1/4 cup  dry white wine
- 1/8 cup aged white wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 TBSP shallots, finely minced (1 large shallot)
- 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 6 TBSP  unsalted butter, cut into small chunks (3/4 stick)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- a pinch of fresh ground white pepper

Directions

- Bring shallots, vinegar, wine, peppercorn, and salt to a boil
- Reduce until most of the liquid is gone (this will help the shallots be tender and the butter blend in)
- Over very low heat, whisk in the butter tbsp by tbsp until melted (sauce will separate if too hot, but also if too cold!)
- Thin the sauce with more wine (or water) if needed
- Serve immediately

Bon appétit!

© Pascal Belloncle for Home Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | One comment

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• 1 egg yolk (at room temperature)
• 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice of half a lemon

Preparation: 10 minutes.

Ready in 40 minutes.
The most important step is to make sure that you take the egg out of the refrigerator about an hour before you make the mayonnaise. If the egg yolk is too cold, the emulsion is not going to happen and you might end up with a big oily mess instead. It may help to take 2 eggs out, just in case.

In a small bowl or plastic container (3 to 4 inches in diameter, 4-5 inches high, vertical sides work best), put the egg yolk, the mustard and salt and pepper. With a hand mixer on the fastest speed, start mixing the egg yolk and the mustard.

Then add just a bit of oil, then a bit more while mixing. The key is to start adding the oil slowly. Once you have a nice creamy consistency, and it becomes stiff enough, then you can be more heavy handed.

There is no fast and hard rule about how much oil you need. Just stop when you have enough and you are satisfied with the consistency.

At this point, it is safe to add the lemon juice and mix the mayonnaise for a bit more. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Variation: instead of using lemon juice, you can use red wine vinegar (about a tablespoon).

© Pascal Belloncle for Home Recipes, 2006. | Permalink | 3 comments

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• 4 tablespoons of butter (1/4 cup)
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• a pinch of salt
• 2 cups of whole milk

Step 1: make the roux
Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Mix in the flour and salt gradually while stirring continously for 3-5 minutes. The trick here is to cook long enough to minimize the flour taste, but not so much that it starts to turn brown.

Step 2: mix in the milk
Warm up the milk and pour it slowly into the roux while stirring vigorously. Be on the watch out for lumps and get rid of them as quickly as they appear.

If you are not using it right away, keep it warm to avoid the creation of a film on the surfrace while stirring occasionally.

For a thicker or thinner variation, add or remove butter and flour.

© Pascal Belloncle for Home Recipes, 2006. | Permalink | 3 comments

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