This is a simple, rich and delicious sauce to accompany a variety of fish dishes as well as scallops, prawns, chicken, pork, and vegetables too. Like the classic wine butter sauces, it is less stable than the classic emulsion sauces because no eggs are used. This lemon butter sauce is simply a reduction of the white wine, with very cold cubed butter beaten in swiftly, so it doesn’t melt before it can be incorporated.
Ingredients:
60ml white wine
100g very cold butter, cubed
20ml lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Method:
Place the white wine in a small saucepan and reduce by half.
Begin whisking in the very cold butter, piece by piece, over medium-high heat, until a smooth, creamy sauce begins to form. The French call this ‘mounting the butter’. Reduce the heat and whisk in the butter, piece by piece.
As the sauce emulsifies, add the butter more quickly, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, whisking constantly over high heat until it is all incorporated. Add the lemon juice and seasoning. Keep warm on the side of the stove until ready to serve. Be careful not to overheat the sauce as the butter will melt, causing it to separate and break.
The addition of a tablespoon of crème fraîche or double cream to the reduction helps hold the emulsion and stabilises the sauce.
