Butter is a fundamental ingredient in baking. It can also be used as a binding element in sauces such as bechamel and, as is the case in many European countries, as a substitute for oil. However, this product is more delicate than it seems. When we need to melt the butter, we usually choose to place it on a hot saucepan or pan, without further ado. Mistake! In this way, the fat is separated from the milk solids and the emulsion is cut. Luckily, there is a trick we can use to prevent this from happening.
Chef Alfredo Vozmediano Romero, with a million followers on TikTok (@avozmechef), explains in a recently published video how to melt butter without fear of it cutting. To do this, a technique known as beurre monté must be applied, “An incredible way to poach food and super useful for keeping products warm that are going to be served shortly,” as he himself describes it. This is a very simple trick for which you only need a saucepan, some rods and a little water.
Before preparing your beurre monté, it is recommended that the butter you are going to use be at room temperature. Simply heat a few tablespoons of water in a saucepan and, when it starts to boil, pour in the butter in small cubes, rather than in one large piece. Immediately, stir the butter with the help of a whisk to emulsify the mixture. This way you can see how the butter melts, but does not cut.
This technique is also useful for fixing a mixture that has been cut previously. Simply prepare a bain-marie, add the cut mixture and beat until you obtain a uniform cream without lumps. Everything has a solution!
As this chef explains, beurre monté is also an ideal technique for confitting fish and vegetables. Through this technique, foods acquire a soft cooking point that makes them succulently tender. Likewise, thanks to this same technique you can prepare the legendary sauce known as beurre blanc, which works as an ideal accompaniment to recipes such as hake with green beans that Vozmediano prepares in the video.
Simply reduce white wine with shallots in a saucepan and then add the butter cubes and beat until you get a smooth and creamy texture. Then the mixture is strained, et voilà!
