Sage Beurre Noisette (Brown Butter)
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Butter swirled over the heat with fresh sage until nut-brown and fragrant, then sharpened with lemon and spooned over fish, gnocchi or vegetables.
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Method
- 1
Melt the butter. Put the butter in a light-coloured pan over medium heat, so you can see the colour change, and let it melt, swirling now and then.
- 2
Brown with sage. When it foams, drop in the sage leaves and keep swirling for 2-3 min. The foam subsides, the specks on the bottom turn hazelnut brown and the kitchen smells nutty, while the leaves turn crisp.
- 3
Stop the cooking. Immediately take the pan off the heat and tip the butter into the bowl, as it can burn within seconds. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper; expect it to sizzle.
- 4
Spoon over. Serve at once over pan-fried white fish, gnocchi, ravioli or steamed vegetables, making sure everyone gets some crisp leaves.
Storage
Best made just before serving. Leftovers firm up in the fridge for up to 5 days; warm gently to melt. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- small light-coloured frying pan or saucepan
- heatproof spoon
- small heatproof bowl
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 148 kcal |
| Protein | 0.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 0.9 g |
| of which sugars | 0.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.1 g |
| Fat | 16.4 g |
| of which saturates | 10.3 g |
| Fibre | 0.4 g |
| Salt | 0.37 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
0.2 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
