Thomas Keller Question....

I just bought Thomas's French Laundry book. One thing he's got me confused on is a "buerre marnier" he uses. He says that he slowly melts butter so it doesn't seperate and adds water to it. He uses this mixture to rest all his meat and proteins. Anyone heard of / used this method before???

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[ross]

oh butter how sweet and beautifull of a lady she is, this inquiry of yours is very noble, but its so deep, its like saying "hey man, like uh do you like money and which is better alot or a little?" see it inspires such a deep reply, ok, enuff foodie romantisism, this is a sauce that makes an emulsion of butter and water ok? like mayo, except its a litle different man, its like lovemaking here, so lets not get violent, remember gentle, you can make this at home for practice and then youll have some great food to work with afterwords, anyway...take one tablespoon of water in a medium saucepan and boil, now remove from heat, leaving fire on and whisk in 1/4 inch pieces of cold butter, one at a time, use about a pound of butter, and whisk in each peace only after the first has nearly dissolved, eventually your butter will not melt, this is when you return the pot to the heat while whisking ..always here we are whisking ...and add a piece in....until it is all gone.repeat this heat balancing act as required by your unmelted butter, now when its done the butter should all be dissolved, and the sauce should look like beautifull vanilla buttery silk. remember to keep it warm...low flame here,,were talking holding heat, not clarified butter , but its like fondue really....ok man? listen all this jazz is too much info .but try it and you will see how easy it really is....remember...dont cook angry!!!love your mise en place...its a beautifull thing

[Kimmie]

This is such a beautiful answer the wait has been worthwhile.


Thanks Ross

[chefjohnpaul]

Ross, Duuuuude!!!!!!

With a reply like that you have to be from California!


Just like a beurre blanc w/o the shallot, wine, and vinegar. Just water.

[ross]

ha ha , thats funny man, but no, im from pa. but ill tell you this when i get back from france napa is my destination......but yeah man its just like beurre blanc, precisely, you can infuse the water with herbs or spices, ive tried some fruit juices, its amazing stuff, its great to grill some cold lobster and set the stuff in a saucepan, drown the lobster in the sauce and let it rest on low flame for about twenty minutes, man its like...pure addiction i swear.....fondue man...fondue for the gods

[CWK]

I can't remember where but I worked in a place where the prep cook wipped butter in a hobart on medium/high speed and tossed ice into it.Is this the same?
Bill

[pollyg]

What I know as Buerre Manie, and Larousse confers, is a paste of butter and flour that is stirred into boiling liquid as a quick liason. The beautiful emulsion that ross talked about, I know as Buerre Fondue. It is interesting how the names change around the world. What do you call the butter/flour mixture?

[Suzanne]

Sorry to be so matter-of-fact after Ross's poetry, but...

PollyG: You're right. Beurre manie' (as in "worked with the hands") is a butter/flour mixture, used to thicken sauces, etc. by whisking in bits at a time.

For a while, I thought maybe the reference was to beurre monte', which I've seen used a lot for finishing par-cooked vegs: heavy cream is brought just to the boil, whole cold butter whisked in, then the mixture is thinned with water and seasoned. (1 cup cream : 1# butter) Keep hot for service, or else it breaks.

Can anyone else give the exact citation? I don't have Keller's book.

[chefboy2160]

Hey folks , if I remember right the black box is talking about an emulsion , exactly like a beurre blanc , while Ross is talking about a beurre manie which is a cold mixture of flour and butter used to finish some saute dishes . Its been a few years so if I am wrong please correct .

[Greg]

The black box and Ross are both speaking of beurre monte, an emulsified butter sauce which is in The French Laundry Cookbook. Ross is dead on concerning the mop, at least according to Keller. His recipe is just butter and water, no heavy cream (I'll have to try Suzanne's version just because it sounds good!). PollyG mentioned beurre manie, which is, as she, Suzanne and chefboy also correctly say, a cold paste made of butter and flour.

[Kimmie]

I just picked-up on your "cape chef wannabe" thing underneath your name! Very funny Greg!

[Greg]

Funny, but true! If I knew half as much about food, wine and our business as CC, I'd be giving Keller a run for his money.

[chefjohnpaul]

If you do add cream to your beurre blanc or beurre fondue it actually will help stabilize the emulsion. Butter and cream have natural emulsifiers contained in them, I believe the predominent is lecithin, so when making the beurre blanc or fondue you are actually converting the butter back into an especially rich cream.

You are turning the butter from a water in fat emulsion, back into a fat in water emulsion.

[Suzanne]

ChefJohnPaul: That's exactly what Gary Robins, the chef from whom I learned beurre monte, said: it's turning butter back into cream.

BTW, Greg, I had my proportions wrong before. It should have been:
1 cup heavy cream, heated just to a boil; gradually whisk in 2# butter, cut in 1" cubes. Burr for about 15 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Thin with hot water to desired consistency.

Gary uses this for finishing vegetables that were blanched and shocked, but I could see how luscious it would be for Keller's purpose. Even worse, I could imagine ladling a little over a piece of bread at the end of service. Heart Attack City, but I'd die happy!

[Jbyl]

Originally Posted by The Black Box

I just bought Thomas's French Laundry book. One thing he's got me confused on is a "buerre marnier" he uses. He says that he slowly melts butter so it doesn't seperate and adds water to it. He uses this mixture to rest all his meat and proteins. Anyone heard of / used this method before???

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I'm looking in the French Laundry Cook book right now, and i think the sauce you are talking about is acually called a Beurre Monte. At least that's what keller calls it. I assume im looking at the same recipe. Any way, can anyone give me a pronunciation? just the monte part. I have trouble saying the french stuff properly. Also, I love how poaches lobster in it and holds meat in it, the next time i have some money ill try it.