ROASTED GARLIC BURRE BLANC

Beurre Blanc is a traditional French mild and creamy emulsified sauce served hot like Hollandaise. It is velvety and rich and is a wonderful canvas upon which to build layers of flavor using herbs and seasoning. Unlike Hollandaise, it does not have egg yolks, and unlike cold emulsifications like mayonnaise, it is thick and coats foods nicely without being spreadable. Beurre blanc translates to white butter, which is the main ingredient in the sauce. When making Beurre Blanc, use very cold butter, as that is a key aspect of making the emulsification work. Another trick to ensure that your sauce doesn’t break is to cook it over a very low heat, and absolutely do not let it come to a boil. If, however, your sauce breaks or does not come together, you can use a small amount of cream to bind it. We offer two versions of Beurre Blanc—this one, which uses vinegar as is traditional but substitutes the sweetness of roasted garlic for the customary shallots, and another that makes use of Meyer lemon and tarragon.

MAKES: 1½ cups (360 ml)

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 head garlic 1 tbsp (15 ml)
• olive oil ¼ cup (60 ml)
• white wine vinegar ¼ cup (60 ml)
• very dry white wine 24 tbsp (360 g)
• cold butter, cut into tablespoon-size (15-g) chunks
• ½ tsp salt or more to taste
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp (10 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
2. Holding the garlic head sideways, trim ¼ inch (6 mm) off the top. Set the garlic on a piece of tin foil that is large enough to enfold it. Drizzle the garlic with the olive oil and wrap it in the foil. Bake for 1 hour or until the garlic is browned and can be pierced easily with a fork. Remove from the oven and cool.
3. Peel 8 to 10 cloves of the roasted garlic and mash lightly with a fork. Combine this in a medium saucepan over medium heat along with the wine vinegar and wine. Whisk well to combine.
4. Boil this mixture until almost all of the liquid is reduced, about 10 minutes. You should have about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the garlic mixture left.
5. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and add 1 tablespoon (15 g) of butter and whisk until it melts. Continue with the remaining pieces of butter, whisking each piece until it melts before adding the next piece. This will take roughly 15 minutes.
6. Once all the butter is incorporated, add the salt, pepper and lemon juice and whisk again to combine. Serve over breaded, fried fish fillets such as rainbow trout.