A good sauce will elevate that most decadent cut of beef, the filet mignon. And especially béarnaise sauce, one of the fundamental sauces of French cuisine. It can transform any dish into one that is truly extraordinary. The piquant flavor of the reduced wine, butter, eggs, and fresh tarragon whisked into a silky sauce is divine. But we don’t always have time to whip up béarnaise sauce so that’s where béarnaise butter comes in. It can be made well in advance and stored in the refrigerator for a month or in the freezer for several months.
A perfectly cooked steak right off the grill with a generous pat of béarnaise butter is the epitome of steak perfection.
Known as “the King of Herbs” in France, tarragon is highly aromatic and essential in béarnaise sauce and this butter. It lends itself well to many dishes such as potatoes, chicken, omelettes, pasta and just about anything you use it with.
It doesn’t take but 5 minutes or so for the liquid to evaporate from the pan of shallots. You will then be left with the most flavorful shallots imaginable.
Once the shallots have cooled, they are mixed with the softened butter along with the minced tarragon, parsley, salt and pepper. The butter is transferred to a piece of plastic wrap and shaped into a tube then chilled in the freezer until slightly firm (it will be quite soft). Once it firms up a bit you will be able to re-shape the tube into a perfect circular log and re-wrap until ready to use.
Lightly smoked then grilled filet mignon with béarnaise butter is surely one of the grandest meals imaginable.
Leftover béarnaise butter is delicious tossed with long strands of linguine and asparagus. Use leftover béarnaise butter on sautéed vegetables, steamed green peas, on baked fish or chicken. Swirl some béarnaise butter in a pan before pouring in lightly beaten eggs then serve on toast.
Adapted from Food & Wine magazine
Ingredients
1/4 cup finely minced shallots
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
6 ounces (170g) Miyoko’s hint of salt vegan butter or regular butter
(1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature1/4 cup minced tarragon
1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, combine shallots with wine and vinegar. Cook over moderate heat until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer shallots to a small bowl to cool to room temperature. You can speed up the cooling process by placing shallots in the refrigerator.
- Scrape shallots into bowl with butter. Beat together with a handheld mixer until creamy. Fold in herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer butter to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log. The butter will be soft at this point so don’t worry too much about getting the perfect shape. Transfer to the freezer for 10 minutes then re-shape as needed. Wrap a piece of foil around the plastic wrapped butter. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Remove butter from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. The butter will be easier to slice into neat rounds and will melt perfectly over the steak.
