Beurre manié is a French paste made from flour and butter used to thicken sauces and stews. It should not be confused with roux, which is cooked before use. Beurre manié can add a raw, floury flavor, so it’s best to use it in small quantities and cook the sauce or stew after adding it. Roux is often used as the base of a sauce and can be made by cooking butter and flour before adding cream or milk.
Beurre manié is a paste made from flour and butter that is used as a sauce thickener. As the name suggests, it derives from the French culinary tradition, although beurre manié can also be used in foods from other nations. Sauces and stews are both thickened with the help of beurre manié, which is not to be confused with roux. The paste is usually made in small quantities at the time of use.
In French, beurre manié means “kneaded butter”. Dough is normally made by working equal parts of butter and flour so that the butter completely encloses each grain of flour. When beurre manié is added to a sauce or stew, the butter melts, releasing the flour and promoting thickening. Using beurre manié will eliminate clumping, as the flour is not added into a solid mass.
Because beurre manié is not cooked before use, it can add an unwanted raw, floury flavor. For this reason, the sauce or stew is always cooked after the beurre manié is added, to neutralize the flavour. It also tends to be used in small quantities, so that the flour doesn’t become overwhelming in the dish it’s used in. For cooks just starting to learn how to use beurre manié, it’s best to err on the side of caution and use less, rather than more.
Many cooks are familiar with roux, another thickening compound made from butter and flour. The two thickeners are actually very different, because the roux is cooked before it’s used. Often, roux serves as the base of a sauce, rather than a later addition. Finally, due to the browning process that occurs when making roux, roux is used more in brown and colored sauces. However, not all roux is brown. Lightly cooked roux will be almost white and lend little in the way of flavor to the sauce it is used in, although it does act as a thickener.
It can be helpful to know how to make roux, however, as it’s very simple and will transform the dishes it’s used in. To make the roux, scoop a tablespoon of butter into a skillet over medium heat. Let the butter melt completely before adding a tablespoon of flour and whisking the two thoroughly. As the flour is whipped up, the roux will start to bubble and turn brown. After that, cream or milk can be added. The roux will make the sauce thick and give it a slight tan color. Roux can also be made with other fats, such as lard.
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