Uploaded December 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
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This sauce is in a family of sauces quite popular in modern professional kitchens, the butter sauce. Butter is not pure fat: it contains only about 85% fat. The rest is mostly water, and a little bit of protein. One of the proteins in butter is lecithin, an emulsifier which enables the butter to remain solid and smooth by holding the oil and water in the same solution. The butter sauce technique employs that lecithin to hold together the butterfat with the aromatic liquid in the skillet. There must be a high proportion of butter to liquid for this technique to work, so typically the pan juices are reduced to a volume of 1 or 2 ounces before a larger quantity of cold butter is added to them, which quickly melts and dissolves into the emergent sauce as the skillet is agitated (or the sauce is stirred).
Once made, a butter sauce will not remain emulsified indefinitely. A properly made sauce will last long enough for the food to be enjoyed right away, so until it cools. If the sauce is right on the edge of having too little moisture, then evaporation may cause a sauce to break before it cools.
Since the sauce is so ephemeral, it is important to have all other matters sorted out in advance. Heat the plates briefly in the oven if need be, to ensure that the other portions of the meal may be plated and in place before the sauce is finished with butter. Once completed, immediately pour the sauce over the staged entrees, garnish with any freshly chopped herbs, and serve.
Makes enough for 3-4 plates, or two if they need to be lakes.
Equipment:
• small to medium nonstick skillet
• heatproof flexible spatula for scraping out the last delicious drop of sauce
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp capers minimal brine (to taste)
1 ea shallot minced fine
4 Tbsp lemon juice 1-2 lemons, optionally include zest
1 tsp butter for sauteing shallot
4 Tbsp butter cold
1 Tbsp fines herbes freshly chopped parsley, chervil, tarragon or chives
Procedure:
1. Mince the shallots finely by being sure to slice them very thin to begin with, across their grain (into rings).
2. In the skillet, let the smaller amount of butter melt, sizzle, and brown – the proteins in the butter will toast to a delicious aroma, while eliminating its ability to emulsify. This smaller amount of butter flavors the sauce and is used in the next step.
3. In the small skillet – now over medium heat – just barely saute the minced shallot and the capers in the brown butter, until the capers are transparent and soft, ready to melt into the sauce. Do not let it become hot enough to continue cooking the butter.
4. Allow the pan to warm up a bit at the end of this process, and then add the lemon juice, and allow that to reduce by at least half.
5. Once plates are ready, and the volume of the liquid in the pan is low enough (water or additional lemon juice may be added if it reduces too far), add the cold butter while the liquid is boiling, and then shake the skillet or tip it and stir the sauce while it bubbles and the butter melts.
6. A smooth, creamy, spoon-coating sauce should form almost immediately. Do not overcook it – take the skillet off the hot element immediately.
7. Pour the sauce over the entrees in the proper spots. Garnish with the chopped herbs and serve.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
Check our our Patreon!
patreon.com/loveyourfood
Need a kitchen thermometer? Check out ChefsTemp! Use code LoveYourFood for 15% off a meat thermometer!
shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2084649&u=3322095&m=111859&urllink=&afftrack=
This sauce is in a family of sauces quite popular in modern professional kitchens, the butter sauce. Butter is not pure fat: it contains only about 85% fat. The rest is mostly water, and a little bit of protein. One of the proteins in butter is lecithin, an emulsifier which enables the butter to remain solid and smooth by holding the oil and water in the same solution. The butter sauce technique employs that lecithin to hold together the butterfat with the aromatic liquid in the skillet. There must be a high proportion of butter to liquid for this technique to work, so typically the pan juices are reduced to a volume of 1 or 2 ounces before a larger quantity of cold butter is added to them, which quickly melts and dissolves into the emergent sauce as the skillet is agitated (or the sauce is stirred).
Once made, a butter sauce will not remain emulsified indefinitely. A properly made sauce will last long enough for the food to be enjoyed right away, so until it cools. If the sauce is right on the edge of having too little moisture, then evaporation may cause a sauce to break before it cools.
Since the sauce is so ephemeral, it is important to have all other matters sorted out in advance. Heat the plates briefly in the oven if need be, to ensure that the other portions of the meal may be plated and in place before the sauce is finished with butter. Once completed, immediately pour the sauce over the staged entrees, garnish with any freshly chopped herbs, and serve.
Makes enough for 3-4 plates, or two if they need to be lakes.
Equipment:
• small to medium nonstick skillet
• heatproof flexible spatula for scraping out the last delicious drop of sauce
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp capers minimal brine (to taste)
1 ea shallot minced fine
4 Tbsp lemon juice 1-2 lemons, optionally include zest
1 tsp butter for sauteing shallot
4 Tbsp butter cold
1 Tbsp fines herbes freshly chopped parsley, chervil, tarragon or chives
Procedure:
1. Mince the shallots finely by being sure to slice them very thin to begin with, across their grain (into rings).
2. In the skillet, let the smaller amount of butter melt, sizzle, and brown – the proteins in the butter will toast to a delicious aroma, while eliminating its ability to emulsify. This smaller amount of butter flavors the sauce and is used in the next step.
3. In the small skillet – now over medium heat – just barely saute the minced shallot and the capers in the brown butter, until the capers are transparent and soft, ready to melt into the sauce. Do not let it become hot enough to continue cooking the butter.
4. Allow the pan to warm up a bit at the end of this process, and then add the lemon juice, and allow that to reduce by at least half.
5. Once plates are ready, and the volume of the liquid in the pan is low enough (water or additional lemon juice may be added if it reduces too far), add the cold butter while the liquid is boiling, and then shake the skillet or tip it and stir the sauce while it bubbles and the butter melts.
6. A smooth, creamy, spoon-coating sauce should form almost immediately. Do not overcook it – take the skillet off the hot element immediately.
7. Pour the sauce over the entrees in the proper spots. Garnish with the chopped herbs and serve.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
