Basic Beurre Blanc
This elegant fish sauce from France is made with butter, wine, and cream.
In a saucepan, combine the wine, vinegar, shallot, bay leaf, and peppercorns.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium, and simmer until there are just 2 tablespoons of liquid left.
Heavy cream should be added, simmered until it has reduced by half, and then strained.
Turn up the heat to medium-high, whisking quickly after each addition of butter until it has melted into the cream and thickened it.
To get the spices out of the sauce, strain it through a mesh strainer.
Serve right away.