French · sauce

Beurre Monté (Two-Ingredient Butter Sauce)

Name: Beurre Monté (Two-Ingredient Butter Sauce)
Total time: 6 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 8 tbsp (113 g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled; 3 tbsp (45 g) water; salt, to taste (about ¼ tsp, our estimate)

Beurre Monté (Two-Ingredient Butter Sauce) — from America's Test Kitchen's cooking video

Watch how it’s made · 8:07

Video by America's Test Kitchen on YouTube · Open on YouTube

6 minMakes 5 × 2 tbsp162 kcal a portion

Carnivore
Keto (0 g net carbs a serve)
Vegetarian
Gluten-free ingredients
Nut-free

Contains: Milk. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Just butter and water: whisking cold butter into a little simmering water rebuilds the emulsion, so the sauce clings to scallops, fish, steak or eggs instead of pooling like melted butter. Two tablespoons is about 160 kcal of almost pure fat, so use it as a finishing sauce.

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Ingredients 3

8 tbsp (113 g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
3 tbsp (45 g) water
salt, to taste (about ¼ tsp, our estimate)

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

Cut the cold butter into 8 pieces and keep it in the fridge until needed. 3:21
Bring the water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, then turn it down to a very gentle simmer. 3:29
Add one piece of butter and whisk constantly until it melts into the water, 20–30 seconds. 3:35
Whisk in the rest of the butter one piece at a time, letting each disappear before adding the next, until the sauce is glossy and looks like thin gravy — 3–4 minutes in all. 3:51
Season with salt. Serve straight away, or cover and hold on the lowest heat for up to 4 hours, whisking hard before serving. Don't let it simmer or cool — it splits and can't be reheated. 3:58

Tip. Keep the water at a bare simmer and add the butter slowly, or it breaks. The batch is about 155 g (ATK says about ½ cup), so 5 serves of 2 tbsp is our estimate. ATK's variations whisk in mustard and other flavourings; plain is carnivore.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One portion (2 tbsp) gives you 1 of 5

Energy162 kcal680 kJ

Protein0.2 g0% of a day

Fibre0 g0% of a day

Carbohydrate0 g0 g net · 0 g sugars0% of a day

Fat18 g12 g saturated23% of a day

Sodium120 mg5% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

Net carbs 0%
Protein 0%
Fat 100%

Fits keto: 0 g net carbs a serve, with 100% of the energy from fat.

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

Vitamin A Source17%

155 µg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (100%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Show the other 14

Omega-34%

0.1 g a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (100%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Vitamin E3%

0.5 mg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (100%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Vitamin D2%

0.3 µg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (100%). Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Vitamin B122%

0 µg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (100%). Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Vitamin K1%

1.6 µg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (100%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Potassium0%

10 mg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (100%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Calcium0%

5.5 mg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (99%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Iron0%

0 mg a serve, mostly from salt (100%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Magnesium0%

0.5 mg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (99%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Zinc0%

0 mg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (99%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Vitamin C0%

0 mg a serve. An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Folate0%

0.7 µg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (100%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Vitamin B60%

0 mg a serve. Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Selenium0%

0.2 µg a serve, mostly from unsalted butter (100%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

Recipe and video by America's Test Kitchen; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.