Beurre manié is one of the best ways to thicken a sauce or a soup, period. This fancy-sounding mixture—it means kneaded butter in French—is incredibly simple to make and equally easy to use. Just rub enough flour into softened butter to make a thick paste; then whisk in little bits of the paste to finish a pan sauce for, say, shrimp scampi or a roast turkey, or to enrich a seafood chowder or oxtail stew. As the butter melts, it separates and evenly disperses the flour particles, which swell and thicken the liquid. The result: a lustrous, velvety texture with nary a clump. Once a technique that was employed by professional and home cooks, unfortunately, this smart kitchen trick is rarely seen anymore. We think it’s time to revive it. Here’s how to make and use beurre manié.
What you need:
Ingredients:
Unsalted butter, softened All-purpose flour Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross STEP 1: Combine the butter and flour.
In a medium bowl, mix together equal parts butter and flour.
Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross STEP 2: Make a paste.
Using your fingers or a fork, knead or mash the mixture until the flour is well incorporated and a smooth paste forms.
Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross STEP 3: Whisk the beurre manié into a sauce or soup.
When simmering a sauce or soup, whisk in one piece of beurre manié at a time as needed.
Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross STEP 4: Cook to thicken.
Allow the mixture
