Beurre Blanc

Serves:
1 cup
Chef:
Irv Miller
Ingredients:
1½ Tbsp. champagne vinegar
¾ cup chardonnay
2 tsp. shallots, rough cut
6 peppercorns
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces chilled unsalted butter cut into eight pieces
1 bay leaf, broken
To taste kosher salt
To taste fresh-ground white pepper
Instructions:
Combine vinegar, wine, shallots, and whole peppercorns in a small, heavy, nonreactive saucepan and boil over medium-high heat until reduced by half. Add whipping cream, return to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until thickened. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in a few pieces of chilled butter until they melt into a creamy sauce. Return saucepan to burner. Over very low heat, add remaining pieces of butter, one at a time, whisking constantly. The sauce should be smooth and creamy. Add seasonings to taste as needed. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Hold the sauce in a warm area.