So, you want to make lemon beurre blanc without cream? Well, this article will give you a step-by-step guide on how to go about it. Cream essentially adds a creamy taste and texture to the sauce.
But you can still achieve this without it. One way to go about it is to use a substitute such as Greek yogurt. It will allow a dollop to spread all over your favorite fish or seafood. Want to know how you can prepare one? Let’s get into it.
How to Prepare Lemon Beurre Blanc Without Cream
To prepare lemon beurre blanc without cream you’ll of course need lemon juice. Its role is to add acidity and citrus flavor to the sauce. In addition, it helps counteract the richness of the butter, preventing the sauce from becoming too heavy.
Interestingly, the lemon juice also helps thicken the sauce. When the protein and the acid react, they create emulsification.
This process allows the sauce to have a silky texture. When choosing lemon juice for the sauce, make sure to use fresh lemon since bottled juice has preservatives that can alter the sauce’s taste.
White wine also adds acidity to the sauce balancing the richness of the butter. It also helps deglaze the pan, releasing any flavorful bits from cooking the shallots. Here, you should use dry white wine for exceptional results.
The most important ingredient in the lemon beurre blanc sauce is butter. It gives it a creamy texture and yellow color. It also emulsifies the sauce, giving it a silky and smooth texture.
Do not use salted butter as it might make the sauce too salty. Instead, use cold unsalted butter.
To add subtle sweetness, you will use shallots. They also add an inviting oniony flavor and aroma. Like butter, shallots bolster the thickness of the sauce.
For best results, use fresh, firm shallots. Also, ensure they are well-chopped to allow for even cooking, releasing their mouth-watering flavor.
Fresh ground black pepper elevates the flavor while adding a subtle spiciness and aroma. It also balances the lemon juice acidity. Salt on the other hand helps thicken the sauce further.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, chopped into small cubes
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- Kosher salt
- 2 medium shallots
- Ground black pepper
Preparation Guide
- First, gather all the ingredients.
- Add the lemon juice, white wine, and shallot to boil over medium-high heat. Let the mixture boil until it thickens slightly. At this point, it should have reduced.
- Add the yogurt and let the mixture boil for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Now, lower the heat to medium-low. Add one butter cube at a time, whisking thoroughly until it melts. Do this for all cubes until the last one has melted.
- Remove the saucepan from the stove. You can squeeze out the shallots at this point, although not mandatory.
- Finally, season the lemon beurre blanc sauce with black pepper and salt and serve immediately.
Why Did My Lemon Beurre Blanc Break and How Can I Save It?
If your beurre blanc sauce breaks, it is because the butter has melted and separated from the rest of the ingredients.
Ideally, the butter should melt and incorporate with the sauce. Breaking happens when the liquid and fat break into individual parts.
This results in a greasy mess. To mitigate this, you need to keep a keen eye on the temperature. The butter should be cold, otherwise, you won’t achieve a proper mixture.
One way to address this is to remove the saucepan from the heat and add in a few cold butter cubes. As you’d expect, this will lower the temperature, allowing the butter to solidify, and paving the way to proper emulsification.
But you don’t have to go through this mess. To prevent the sauce from breaking in the first place, use cold butter right from the fridge.
Also, ensure the heat is low keeping an eye on the sauce’s thickness. If it starts to get thin, reduce the heat and whisk the butter vigorously.
Can You Store and Reheat Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce
Beurre blanc sauce should be served immediately after preparation. However, you may make it 2 hours before and keep it warm. You can either keep it in an insulated container or a thermos.
Alternatively, you can cover it in a saucepan and place it in a warm oven at about 170° F. If you do not serve it immediately, the sauce will thicken, requiring you to thin it with a liquid.
While you can temporarily refrigerate the beurre blanc sauce, it will be susceptible to breaking. Fortunately, the breaking will not impact the flavor. However, it will lose its velvety texture, which makes it an appealing sauce.
Which Is the Best White Wine for Beurre Blanc?
Some of the best options to choose from include:
- Gruner Veltliner
- Albarino
- Pinot Gris
- Riesling
- Sauvignon Blanc
When making lemon beurre blanc, you want a white wine that is high in acidity with a medium body. The acidity content balances out the butter’s richness and the lemon juice’s brightness.
And since it has a medium body, it will not overwhelm the flavors of the sauce.
Avoid using too sweet or too oaky wine, as the flavor will crash with the sauce’s ingredients. Heavy wine can make the sauce feel greasy. You should therefore avoid it.
That said, the ultimate wine will depend on your preferences. We recommend experimenting with a few before settling for one. You should also consider the type of fish you’ll be serving with the sauce.
If serving with delicate fish such as flounder, Riesling is an excellent option since it has a lighter body and higher acidity. For fish such as salmon, choose a more bold wine such as Pinot Gris.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes When Making Lemon Beurre Blanc?
Here are the mistakes most people overlook when making beurre blanc:
- Not using cold butter: After chopping the unsalted butter into cubes, you need to transfer it to the refrigerator immediately.
- Adding the butter at once: Some people add all the butter at once which causes the sauce the break. You should add one butter cube at a time until all the cubes have melted.
- Using high heat: When you use high heat, the butter components (fat and water) will break instead of emulsifying. You should use medium-low heat when whisking the butter.
Final Thoughts
Making lemon Beurre Blanc without cream requires that you substitute the cream with Greek yogurt. You’ll still achieve a sauce with a creamy texture and spicy taste.
You should boil the lemon juice, wine, and shallots before adding the yogurt and butter. Speaking of butter, use the unsalted option.
And when adding it to the sauce, the heat should be medium-low to prevent the fat and water from separating.
Since wine is a crucial ingredient, go for options with high acidity and medium body. Avoid brands that are too oaky and sweet.