Learn to make a classic brown butter sauce
(CBS News) There are six levels in the culinary program I am enrolled in.
The first two are structured around the basics: cooking 101, if you will. The third focuses on repetition and consistency; the fourth on cooking for buffets; and finally, levels five and six have us cooking in the school's restaurant.
Right now I'm halfway through level three, and it's been quite the wake up call. We no longer have the luxury of preparing these massive recipes with a partner. We're cooking solo for the first time, and we have to make our dishes twice as fast. Stress!
Video: Turn butter into a quick sauce for fish
The first few days of this level were pure insanity - everyone running every which way in the kitchen, frantically trying to grab ingredients and pots...just chaos. I wasn't entirely convinced I'd survive the rest of school.
I'd like to say it got better, but I think we're all just used to it. We are officially better at panicking. Or I guess you could say "multi-tasking." Tomato, tomahto.
Luckily, one of our dishes is delightfully simple: a sauteed fish with brown butter caper sauce. It takes hardly any time to prep, cooks up very fast and, of course, it's a taste bud pleaser. You should try it out!
Watch the video above to learn how to make brown butter sauce for fish.
Brown Butter and Caper Sauce (Grenobloise)
Adapted from The International Culinary Center
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 3 tablespoons capers
- 2 lemons, segmented
- 1 teaspoon flat-leaf parsley
1. Cut cold butter into even sized cubes and add to saute pan. Cook the butter until it melts and turns a hazelnut color, swirling it from time to time in the pan.
2. Add the capers and fry until they bud open, about two to three minutes. Add the lemon segments and cook briefly until most of the segments break down into the sauce.
3. Remove the sauce from the heat add, stir in the parsley and spoon over fish.