Morels And Asparagus In Beurre Blanc Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Place wine, lemon juice, cream, shallots, and cream in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and let simmer until liquid is reduced by about 75%, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and whisk in about 2 cubes of butter. Keep butter moving until it melts. When melted, add a few more cubes, whisking continuously so butter emulsifies into the wine/lemon juice mixture.
• Continue to add butter, a few cubes at a time until all of it has been incorporated and the sauce has a thick, luxurious texture, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Taste for seasonings and add a pinch of salt and cayenne, if desired. Serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS AU BEURRE

Steps:

• Steam the asparagus for about 5 minutes, until tender. Toss with butter and salt.

ASPARAGUS WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO WITH BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the woody ends of the asparagus spears trimming the spears to the same length.
• Bundle 3 asparagus stalks together and wrap each grouping with one slice of prosciutto, leaving the tips exposed. Drizzle the bundles with olive oil.
• Roast the bundles for 10 minutes, or until the asparagus ends and the prosciutto slices are crisp.
• Drizzle each prosciutto-wrapped asparagus bundle with the prepared beurre blanc and serve.
• Bring the shallots, vinegar, and wine to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until the liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 5 minutes.
• Add the cream, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in a few tablespoons butter. Continue to whisk and add a few pieces at a time of the remaining butter. Wait until each addition is incorporated before adding more butter. The sauce should remain warm, but never hot or the sauce will break.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and season with salt, and pepper, to taste. If desired, strain the sauce through a sieve to remove the shallot. Discard the shallot. Serve the sauce immediately.
• Beurre Rouge: Replace the white wine in the original recipe with red wine and the white wine vinegar with red wine vinegar.
• Beurre Citron: Replace the vinegar and wine in the original recipe with 1/4 cup citrus (lemon, lime, and/or orange) juice and add 1 teaspoon citrus zest.
• Lime-Ginger: Replace the vinegar in the original recipe with an equal amount of lime juice and add 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger.
• Saffron: Add a pinch saffron threads to the reduction.

MORELS AND ASPARAGUS IN BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Put the morels in a dish, cover with boiling water and allow to soak for an hour. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid, then pat the morels dry and spread on paper towels.
• Boil the soaking liquid down in a small saucepan until it is reduced to two tablespoons. Set aside.
• Snap ends off asparagus and slant-cut in inch-and-a-half lengths.
• Heat two tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add the asparagus, sprinkle with salt and stir-fry about four minutes. Add the drained morels and stir-fry another four minutes or so, until the vegetables are tender. Set aside.
• Add the vinegar and wine to the mushroom liquid and cook for one minute. Begin to whisk in the remaining butter, about a tablespoon at a time over low heat, until a thickened, creamy sauce results. Season with pepper.
• Divide the asparagus and morels among four plates, spoon some of the sauce over each, dust with chervil and serve.

BLACKENED GROUPER LINGUINE

Steps:

• For the linguine: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the oil and a dash of salt. Add the linguine and cook until al dente (slightly firm to the bite), 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
• For the beurre blanc: Put the cream, lemon juice, vinegar and shallots in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce by about half. Whip in the butter until smooth. Strain the sauce to remove the shallots. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
• For the grouper: Heat a medium nonstick pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Sprinkle Cajun seasoning over one side of the grouper (the serving side). Cook until well seared and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
• Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, haricots verts and minced garlic and cook briefly. Add the linguine and toss in 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of the beurre blanc sauce.
• To assemble, arrange the linguine in the center of a plate and place the grouper fillet on top. Sprinkle on the shredded Parmesan and garnish with a lemon wedge.