Beurre Monté

Butter held in a stable emulsion — the chef's poaching liquid.

A trick from French bistros and Thomas Keller's playbook: bring a tablespoon of water to a simmer, whisk in cold butter cube by cube, and you get a smooth butter emulsion that stays liquid at 90°C. Poach anything in it for the softest, richest result imaginable.

Method

01
Bring 2 tbsp of water to a bare simmer in a small saucepan.
02
Off the heat, whisk in 250g of cold cubed butter one cube at a time, waiting for each to melt in.
03
Keep the temperature between 82-88°C. Any hotter and it splits.
04
Poach lobster, scallops, chicken breasts or asparagus in the beurre monté for silky, luxurious results.

Chef's notebook

“Add a strip of lemon zest or thyme sprig to perfume the poaching liquid.”
“Never boil. Never let it get above 88°C or you'll lose the emulsion.”