Diary of a Chef · Just Chefn Around

Lemon Beurre Blanc

15 minutes · ~¾ cup (serves 4 as a dip or finish)

By Diary of a Chef

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp yellow onion, minced very fine
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice + zest of 1/2 lemon
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) cold butter, cubed and kept in the fridge until the moment of use
• Kosher salt
• Chives, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. 1Reduce

   Onion, wine, and vinegar over medium; reduce to about 1 tablespoon of syrup — the pan looks nearly dry with a glossy slick.

2. 2Whisk in cold butter cubes until creamy and glossy

   Heat to LOW. Whisk in the cold butter one cube at a time, constant motion, each cube melting into the last — this is called mounting. The sauce builds into something creamy, pale, and glossy. Do not boil after the butter goes in.

3. 3Never boil

   Grainy and oily means broken. Rescue: off heat, 1–2 tbsp cold water whisked into one corner, then rebuild the sauce into it.

4. 4Finish

   Off heat: lemon juice, zest, salt. Taste in order — salt, then acid, then fat. Optional strain for silk; chives in.

5. 5Hold

   Parked somewhere warm near the stove, never ON it, and never reheated.