“Beurre monté, butter emulsified in water, has been a staple in many kitchens. Thomas Keller and David Bouley made them famous. Beurre blanc has been around for centuries. The faster, more basic beurre monté is utilitarian. It can be seasoned and flavored in an instant. It may be used to enrich a sauce or as a medium to butter poach lobster. It can and should be used to rest meat. As a young cook, I broke many a monté and the emulsion separated at the most dreadful of times. At the end of a night of service, we used to have leftover beurre monté. This sauce would be discarded. Depending on how busy we were, would depend on how much really good butter was wasted. These two issues have stuck with me for years. They were the guiding forces for creating our bulletproof beurre monté. The added benefit of our sauce is it uses less butter and allows more flavor to be perceived. The lactic notes of the butter are carried through the water. Think about how a splash of water added to single malt scotch enhances the experience.
What makes the sauce bulletproof? It can be simmered. It can be cooled. It can be reheated. Occasionally, we put it back into the blender to shear everything together. We have made this sauce with brown butter and assorted nut oils. The flavorings depend on what we are cooking. The model remains the same.
Bulletproof Beurre Monté
– 250 grams water
– 0.375 grams (0.15%) xanthan gum
– 1.25 grams (0.5%) gum Arabic
– 450 grams butter, cut into medium dice
– 50 grams extra virgin olive oil or other flavored oil
– 2.25 grams (0.3%) salt
Put the water in a blender and turn it on low. Increase the speed until a vortex forms in the water. Sprinkle the xanthan gum and gum arabic into the blender and increase the speed to medium high. Blend for 30 seconds to disperse and hydrate the hydrocolloids. Pour the thickened water into a pot set over medium high heat. When the water comes to a simmer, start whisking in the cold butter. Whisk the butter in small amounts until it is fully emulsified. Put the hot butter mixture back into the blender and turn the speed on low. Increase the speed to medium and pour in the olive oil and the salt. Increase the speed to medium high and blend to fully emulsify the mixture. Pour the mixture back into a pot or bain-marie and keep in a warm spot if using immediately. Otherwise, cool the mixture down and reheat when ready to use.”
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