Pan Fried Scallops with a Basic Beurre Blanc Sauce...

I won’t deny that sauces scare me. You have to get the flavour and texture just right and your timing must be perfect. To me they have always seemed fiddly, labour intensive and far too easy to screw up. My question has always been – is it really worth it to make a sauce?

Well for a long time I didn’t think so. A few years back I did attempt a Hollandaise to go with some beautiful fresh asparagus. The result was a nasty curdled mess alongside charred asparagus (charred because I was so busy with the sauce I completely forgot about it).

So what are some of the things that go wrong with sauces?

• They can split, burn or curdle

• Be too watery, thick or lumpy

• Not have enough flavour OR have too much flavour and completely over power everything else on the plate

Of course when done correctly sauces have the ability to take dishes to a whole new level.

• They enhance the flavour of particular ingredient(s)

• They give added depth of flavour and marry ingredients together bringing harmony and balance to a dish

• They also add extra colour, aroma, texture and moisture

There are many different varieties of sauces but they all stem from what is known as the 5 Mother Sauces.

So what are the 5 mother sauces?

• Béchamel (white sauce made with milk, butter and flour)

• Velouté (similar to Béchamel but made with stock instead of milk)

• Espagnole (a rich brown sauce made with meat stock and root vegetables)

• Hollandaise (a rich sauce made from eggs, butter and lemon juice)

• As for the 5th sauce, some books mention Vinaigrette (a combination of oil and vinegar) while others mention Tomato based (or red) sauces.

Now there are some sauces I do feel confident in making and tomato or red sauce is one of them. I can also rustle up fairly decent vinaigrette when in the mood. However I am terrified of anything involving ingredients like eggs, butter, milk, vinegar or wine which requires vigorous continual whisking and vigilant temperature control. It all just seems…. too much.

Well the other week while watching Masterchef: The Professionals I was intrigued to see them prepare pan fried scallops with a classic Beurre Blanc sauce. The recipe really stuck in my mind and I felt this weekend it was time to face my ‘sauce’ fears and make this dish.

My husband seasoned the scallops (we had 3 each) with some salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper. While he was searing them in the pan I was madly whisking a combination of shallots, bay leaves, peppercorns, white wine, white wine vinegar, thick cream and butter (a lot of butter!). I did my best to taste as I went along while making sure it didn’t burn. There were a few scary moments but it all went according to plan and the end result was pretty amazing! It was much easier then I thought it would be (despite the crazy whisking and intense temperature monitoring) and it worked beautifully with the scallops.

So if you were like me and afraid of sauces – don’t be. I know that the more I practice the easier it will become. It will also help take my cooking in a whole new direction which I am excited about.
Here is the recipe I used for a Basic Beurre Blanc sauce. It has been shared by Jay from the All Recipes website. It is a real winner and can be used with pan fried scallops, delicately poached fish or grilled vegetables. The only thing I added was a wee bit of freshly chopped parsley at the end.

Enjoy.

Jay’s Basic Beurre Blanc Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped shallot

• 1 bay leaf

• 6 black peppercorns

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons dry white wine

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

• 1 1/2 cups cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1. Place shallot, bay leaf, peppercorns, vinegar, and wine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and continue simmering until only 2 tablespoons of liquid remain.

2. Pour in heavy cream and bring to a simmer; simmer until the cream has reduced by half. Increase heat to medium-high, and rapidly whisk in the butter, piece, by piece until it has melted into the cream and thickened it. Strain the sauce through a mesh strainer to remove the spices. Serve immediately.

Scallops with a Beurre Blanc Sauce