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Original video by @BrianLagerstrom — all credit to the creator.

Brian Lagerstrom

5 Restaurant-Quality Pan Sauces in 15 Minutes

Five fast, classic sauces that turn simple proteins and vegetables into restaurant plates: a foolproof blender hollandaise, nutty brown butter caper sauce, silky white wine lemon butter, herby compound butter, and a glossy port beurre rouge. Each one comes together in about 15 minutes with butter, aromatics, and a little technique.

⏱ 15 minFrenchpan saucebutter saucehollandaisebeurre blanccompound butter

Ingredients

Bulletproof Blender Hollandaise

  • 140 gunsalted butter · 10 T; melted to 175–180°F
  • 3egg yolks
  • 10 gwhite balsamic vinegar · 2 t; or champagne/white distilled vinegar
  • 3 gkosher salt · ~½ t
  • 1 pinchcayenne
  • 5 gWorcestershire · 1 t
  • 5 gDijon mustard · 1 t
  • 25 gwater · 2 T; to thin, as needed

Brown Butter Caper Sauce (sauce meunière)

  • 2skinless fish fillets · ~6 oz each; halibut, trout, or sole
  • —kosher salt
  • —olive oil · for searing
  • —all-purpose flour · for dredging
  • 115 gunsalted butter · 8 T / ½ c / 1 stick; diced
  • 3 gnonfat dried milk powder · 1 t
  • 25 gcapers · 3 T; minced
  • 20 gshallots · 2 T; finely minced (brunoise)
  • —water · a splash
  • 10 glemon juice · 2 t
  • 5 gparsley · 1 T; finely minced

White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce

  • —olive oil · 1–2 T
  • 100 gshallots · ⅔ c; small dice
  • 50 ggarlic · 10 cloves; minced or pressed
  • 1 small pinchkosher salt
  • 250 gdry white wine · 1 c + 2 T
  • 100 gchicken stock · ½ c; or clam juice for seafood
  • 75 gcold unsalted butter · 5 T; cubed
  • ½lemon, zested · zest chopped
  • 15 gparsley · ¼ c; finely minced

Herby Compound Butter

  • 454 gunsalted butter · 1 lb; very soft
  • 25 gparsley · ½ c loosely packed; picked
  • 10 gchives · ¼ c; chopped
  • 3–4 gfresh thyme leaves · 1 T; picked
  • 10 gshallots · 1 T; chopped
  • 10 ggarlic · 2–3 cloves; minced
  • 5 gkosher salt · 1 t
  • 4 gcracked black pepper · 1½ t

Beurre Rouge (red wine butter sauce)

  • 30 gshallots · ~3 T; chopped
  • 2–3 sprigsthyme
  • 1 sprigrosemary
  • 15 gblack peppercorns · ~10
  • 150 gwater · ⅔ c
  • 300 gruby port wine · 1¼ c
  • 1 gpowdered gelatin · ~¼ t, scant
  • 5 gkosher salt · 1 t
  • 226 gcold unsalted butter · 2 sticks; cubed

Steps

  1. 1

    Hollandaise: Melt the butter gently over low heat to 175°F/80°C, with no sizzling.

  2. 2

    Hollandaise: In a blender, combine the egg yolks, vinegar, salt, cayenne, Worcestershire, and Dijon; blend 5–10 seconds.

  3. 3

    Hollandaise: With the blender running, stream in the hot butter and blend until very thick.

  4. 4

    Hollandaise: Transfer to a saucepan and, over the lowest heat, whisk in 2 T water to a saucy consistency. Hold warm at 130–140°F, never simmering. Serve on eggs benedict, vegetables, or any pan-roasted or grilled protein.

  5. 5

    Brown butter caper sauce: Season the fish on both sides and rest 5 minutes. Dredge lightly in flour and shake off the excess.

  6. 6

    Brown butter caper sauce: Heat a stainless pan over medium-high and add oil. Press the fish into the pan for 20–30 seconds, then sear 3–4 minutes to deep golden. Flip and cook 30–45 seconds more over low heat. Rest.

  7. 7

    Brown butter caper sauce: Over medium heat, add the butter; when it starts to foam, whisk in the milk powder.

  8. 8

    Brown butter caper sauce: Whisking or stirring constantly, stir in the capers and sizzle about 2 minutes. Add the shallots and a splash of water and soften about 1 minute, until the sauce is nutty golden brown.

  9. 9

    Brown butter caper sauce: Off heat, whisk in the lemon juice. Let sit 1 minute to cool slightly, then stir in the parsley and spoon over the fish.

  10. 10

    White wine lemon butter sauce: In a saucier over medium heat, add 1–2 T oil and sweat the shallots and garlic with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes until softened, with no color.

  11. 11

    White wine lemon butter sauce: Add the wine and reduce fast to au sec (nearly dry).

  12. 12

    White wine lemon butter sauce: Add the stock and simmer to reduce by two-thirds.

  13. 13

    White wine lemon butter sauce: Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the cold butter a few cubes at a time to emulsify to a satiny sheen.

  14. 14

    White wine lemon butter sauce: Off heat, stir in the lemon zest and parsley. Serve immediately with chicken breast, salmon, or shrimp scampi.

  15. 15

    Compound butter: In a food processor, combine the butter, herbs, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper. Process smooth, scraping as needed — the butter should be green, not yellow with chunks.

  16. 16

    Compound butter: Transfer to a double layer of plastic wrap and roll into a tight 10–12" log (torchon). Chill until firm.

  17. 17

    Compound butter: Slice into ½" coins and melt over just-cooked steaks, chops, fish, or hot vegetables.

  18. 18

    Beurre rouge: In a saucepan, whisk together the shallots, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns, water, port, and gelatin. Boil 6–8 minutes until reduced by half.

  19. 19

    Beurre rouge: Strain, pushing all the liquid through. Return the strained liquid to high heat and reduce to syrupy (a nappé trail).

  20. 20

    Beurre rouge: Over the lowest heat, whisk in the cold butter a few cubes at a time to a glossy, velvety emulsion that leaves a lazy trail on a spoon.

  21. 21

    Beurre rouge: Serve immediately over seared steak, salmon, halibut, pork, or duck.

Creator's notes

Hollandaise: hold warm at 130–140°F, never simmering. White wine sauce pairs well with chicken breast, salmon, or shrimp scampi; use clam juice instead of stock for seafood. Compound butter keeps as a chilled log to slice as needed.

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