Beurre Manié, The Key to Pan Sauce

I see all sorts of sauces these days in the grocery store both jarred and dry mixes. While I am sure they are convenient, I am guessing they have their share of stabilizers and chemicals and a bunch of salt. I prefer to make my own. Pan sauces are incredibly easy, and the secret to thickening them is Beurre Manié.

Now doesn’t that sound fancy and difficult. Well, it’s not. Beurre Manié is simply a paste of equal parts butter and flour. It actually means kneaded butter in French. I like to make up a small jar and keep it in the fridge or freezer. Make it with room temperature butter using a small fork. Combine the flour and butter until you get a smooth paste.

When I pan sauté chicken breast, pork chops, fish or steak I use Beurre Manié along with wine, fruit juice, cider, broth or a combination of these to make a luxurious sauce. To make it even more interesting, add mushrooms or shallots or even fruit like grapes or apples. One of my favorites is dried fruit, like cherries or apricots.

My basic method is to pan sauté a protein using butter and olive oil. Once the protein is cooked, remove it from the pan. Add liquids of your choosing to deglaze the pan.

 

Stir it around a bit to pick up all those amazing brown bits. Now add about a teaspoon of Beurre Manié, stir and this is what you get:

 
 

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Add a bit more if you need the sauce a bit thicker. The amount of sauce is up to you, more liquids, more sauce.

My husband’s favorite is pork chops with port wine, a bit of chicken broth and dried cherries. What are your ideas for pan sauces?

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