Sauces Vin Blanc

The sauce that I was used to serve with the dish on the photo above, was based on the classic French sauce: the sauce vin blanc (white wine sauce). Auguste Escoffier, in the guide culinaire, describes three basic recipes for the sauce vin blanc. Here I will give you his directions for the white wine sauce as well as the one that I was used to make as a base for the seafood sauce that was used to accompany this fish dish.

First sauce vin blanc recipe:

• 1 litre sauce veloute made with fish sock.
• 2 dl good, clear fish stock.
• 1 glass of dry white wine.
• 4 egg yolks.
• 150g butter.
• salt and pepper.

In a thick bottom saucepan, bring the fish velouté along with the fish stock and white wine to the boil and allow to reduce by a good third.

Reduce the heat, then whisk in the egg yolks. Allow to simmer, very gently, for 10 minutes.

Just before serving whisk in the butter. Note that at this point the sauce cannot come to the boil anymore.

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The second and third white wine sauce recipes are close members of the hot emulsion sauces category (like the hollandaise or bearnaise sauces).

Recipe number two:

• 1 dl good, clear fish stock.
• 1 glass dry white wine.
• 5 egg yolks.
• 500g butter.
• salt and pepper.

Clarify the butter.

In a thick bottom saucepan, bring the fish stock and white wine to the boil. Allow to reduce by half.

Off the heat, add the egg yolks and start working the eggs like you would do for a hollandaise sauce. When they have reached the right consistency, start whisking in the clarified butter.

When all the butter has been incorporated, check the seasoning and set aside in a bain-marie until serving time.

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Directions for the sauce vin blanc's third recipe:

• 5 egg yolks.
• 500g clarified butter.
• 1 dl of good, clear fish stock.
• salt and pepper.

In a thick bottom saucepan, start whisking the egg yolks with a spoon of fish stock over a medium heat.

Keep working the egg while adding a spoon or two of fish stock from time to time until the sauce thickens and all the fish stock has been used. Make sure not overheat the pot (egg yolks start cooking at 55 degrees celsius).

Then, whisk in the clarified butter as you would do for a bearnaise sauce. Check the seasoning and set aside in a double-boiler until serving time.

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My own version of the white wine sauce goes like this:

• 1 litre good, clear fish stock.
• a glass of good dry white wine.
• 1/2 litre double cream.
• 2 long shallots.
• few stocks of parsley.
• salt and pepper.

In a saucepan, bring the fish stock and white wine to the boil. Add the parsley and the shallots finely sliced and allow to gently reduce by two third.

Add the cream and reduce by half. Strain and check the seasoning.

“How can one make friends without exquisite dishes! It is mainly through the table that one governs!”

Jean-Jacques Regis de Cambaceres

Suitable for pregnant women, coeliacs(excepted the first recipe), vegetarian. Contains dairies. Nut free.