Beurre Noisette – the Best One Ingredient Sauce in the World

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat and and leave it over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. You will soon see bubbles coming up to the surface. That is the water contained in the butter, which is being boiled out at this stage.

Let the butter froth away until the milk solids that will soon sink to the bottom of the pan have had a chance to brown to a hazel-nutty color (see picture). Most of the foam will have gone by then.

Remove the pan from the heat. If you want ghee, strain the melted butter through a colander lined with a paper towel. Be sure to keep the crispy, nutty milk solids to spread on toast or sprinkle onto fried eggs.

I skipped the straining, and poured the beurre noisette into a Weck jar as it was. The milk solids gradually sunk to the bottom, so I was left with beautiful, golden ghee at the top of the jar, and delicious, nutty, almost chunky beurre noisette at the bottom.

Done.

Tips:

While it’s still warm, simply pour the beurre noisette over steamed asparagus, cooked linguini or potatoes, then add salt and pepper to taste and maybe sprinkle on some of your favorite herbs. But be sure to try it without any seasonings first—it’s divine!

I used it as a sauce for ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta the other day. To go with the pasta, I fried an egg in some beurre noisette as well, and simply sprinkled on some fresh chives. Simple, perfect dinner!

You can prepare this sauce in advance and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for several weeks. Simply melt it again before use (no need to broil for half an hour).