How To Make A Stabilized Butter Emulsion Using Xanthan Gum

One of the greatest sauces that was ever invented is the beurre blanc. What’s there not to like? Sweated shallots with white wine and loads of butter emulsified together until it becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Well, I’ll tell you what’s not to like; its a damn pain in the ass. First of all, you have to make sure that you don’t start with too much wine or other liquid. Then you have to make sure that both your liquid and butter are at the right temperature before you start emulsifying them together. Then, once you have the emulsion made, you have to make sure that you hold it at a precise temperature to make sure it doesn’t break, or it will look like a fatty, separated vinaigrette.

Not to mention, if you really want to make sure it’s of the highest quality then you need to make it to order. This really isn’t an option for professional kitchens unless they’re only doing 40 covers a night or have a large kitchen brigade with a dedicated saucier.

Sure, there’s many a chef that will add cream to their beurre blanc to keep it from breaking. But here’s the problem:

1. The cream distorts the texture and flavor.
2. Chef Anthony Bourdain said it best in his book Bone in the Throat: “There is no, I repeat, no, cream in a real beurre blanc … You see any mention of cream in there? No … you put cream in there, it ain’t a beurre blanc.”

So what’s a chef to do? Use Xanthan Gum! The addition of just a small amount of Xanthan Gum will not only allow you to emulsify the beurre blanc much more easily, but it will also hold stable all night long. When using Xanthan Gum to make a stabilized butter emulsion you have three distinct advantages over classical technique:

1. You can use any amount of liquid you desire. This allows you to make your beurre blanc’s flavor much more intense if you so desire.
2. It will hold stable at a relatively hot temperature all night long.
3. If it breaks, you can easily bring it back together with an immersion blender. This also holds true for the next day. Whatever amount of beurre blanc you have left over from the day before, simply heat it back up and blend with an immersion blender to emulsify it back together.

The Process

Below are some pictures that I took while making a Lemon Butter Emulsion. Although it has an excellent flavor that goes great with fish, try not to concentrate too much on the ingredients. Instead focus on the technique and the use of the Xanthan Gum.

• Start by first sauteing some sliced shallots with a little bit of butter and a pinch of kosher salt. The salt will help draw out some of the natural moisture in the shallots, intensifying the flavor and giving them a hint of sweetness.
• Once the shallots become soft and translucent, but have not yet started to brown, add some water or white wine and adjust your burner to allow the shallots to simmer slowly. Simmer until almost all the white wine or water has evaporated.
• Pour in your flavored liquid of choice and bring to a simmer; here I’m using lemon juice. Note: If you just want to make a straight beurre blanc, at this time you would a add a little champagne vinegar.

• Blend your shallots and remaining liquid in a good blender to form a watery puree.
• Add a small pinch of Xanthan Gum. In larger amounts, Xanthan Gum will add viscosity and thicken a liquid, but here I’m using it in a smaller amount as an emulsifier.
• Once the shallot puree and Xanthan Gum are incorporated (occurs almost immediately) start adding in cold butter, one small cube at a time.
• Keep adding your butter until your emulsion reaches the desired consistency (traditional consistency will just barely coat the back of a spoon).
• If you add all your butter and you want your emulsion to be a little thicker, you can add in some more Xanthan Gum in small amounts to thicken it to desired consistency. On the flip side, if you haven’t yet added all your butter and your emulsion is becoming to thick, you can thin it out with water or a liquid of your choice and then continue to add more butter.

• Once your Butter Emulsion has reached its desired consistency, add any finale flavoring touches such as a good vinegar, truffle oil, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Here, since I used a decent amount of lemon juice, I’m balancing out the tart taste with some sugar.
• Pass your emulsion through a chinois to ensure a consistent, smooth texture.
• After you strain your Butter Emulsion, hold it in a bain-marie or a double boiler. A nice low flame will keep it plenty warm. If you’re using this sauce during service in a professional restaurant than usually putting it on the back of your stove with no flame will be sufficient for keeping it warm.

Oh NO! My butter emulsion broke! What Now! Relax, because you used the Xanthan Gum in the first place you can easily bring your emulsion back together by simply blending it for about 30 seconds with an immersion blender. In the unlikely event that this doesn’t work try this:

• Put some water with a little bit of Xanthan Gum in the bottom of the blender. Turn on and let mix for about 15 seconds
• Heat your broken emulsion until it is fluid and give it a couple of quick stirs with a whisk.
• Slowly stream your broken emulsion into the blender. That’s it! Now your broken emulsion is fixed.

Tagged as: How To Cook, Molecular Gastronomy, Recipes, Xanthan Gum