Another good reason to Bee a foodie...
It could make you a better speller!
If you're a big fan of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, you probably know that the local girl , Marissa Shoji of Symmes Township (she's cute as a button), just got knocked out of the competition. The word that shattered her dreams of becoming the next Bee champ?
"Beurre," which is the French word for butter.
Here's what I don't understand: In the round before that, she spelled "butyraldehyde," for crying out loud! She must have boned up on her organic chemistry nomenclature before the Bee. Zzzz.... Want to know what's ironic? Butyric acid is the "odor-causing agent in rancid butter. A saturated fatty acid with 4 carbon atoms that is found in relatively large amounts in butter." Is that eerie or WHAT?! (That the words are related and that she misspelled the latter but not the former, I mean. Although I guess it is also a wee bit eerie that I know that nerdy/foodie factoid. I always knew that $300 chemistry textbook my parents bought for me - way back when I wanted to be a doctor - would come in handy...)
Anyhoo, it's clear she needed a foodie on her team of coaches... Paula Deen would have been just the woman to help our homegrown speller with this one. OK, maybe Paula Deen after she studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and learned all about beurre blanc, the butter sauce so common in French cooking... I can just hear Paula, with her thick, southern drawl, now: "It's called brrrrrrr blank... Say it with me, sugar. Brrrrr... Spelled B, E, U, R-ah, R-ah, Eeeee."
Check out the comments section for a fabulous recipe for a lemon beurre blanc. There are endless variations to this creamy sauce, but this version is delish. It is fabulous on chicken, veggies, potatoes... And on fish? Mmm, mmm, mmm...
"Beurre," which is the French word for butter.
Here's what I don't understand: In the round before that, she spelled "butyraldehyde," for crying out loud! She must have boned up on her organic chemistry nomenclature before the Bee. Zzzz.... Want to know what's ironic? Butyric acid is the "odor-causing agent in rancid butter. A saturated fatty acid with 4 carbon atoms that is found in relatively large amounts in butter." Is that eerie or WHAT?! (That the words are related and that she misspelled the latter but not the former, I mean. Although I guess it is also a wee bit eerie that I know that nerdy/foodie factoid. I always knew that $300 chemistry textbook my parents bought for me - way back when I wanted to be a doctor - would come in handy...)
Anyhoo, it's clear she needed a foodie on her team of coaches... Paula Deen would have been just the woman to help our homegrown speller with this one. OK, maybe Paula Deen after she studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and learned all about beurre blanc, the butter sauce so common in French cooking... I can just hear Paula, with her thick, southern drawl, now: "It's called brrrrrrr blank... Say it with me, sugar. Brrrrr... Spelled B, E, U, R-ah, R-ah, Eeeee."
Check out the comments section for a fabulous recipe for a lemon beurre blanc. There are endless variations to this creamy sauce, but this version is delish. It is fabulous on chicken, veggies, potatoes... And on fish? Mmm, mmm, mmm...
My word to the wise: The butter has to be chilled and the wine must be reduced. Or else you end up with a watery mess full of butter bits. Or so I hear... And don't let it boil or it will break on you! (I feel like the guy on the PSP commercial. "That thing will morph!")
posted by Nicci King at 12:44 PM
3 Comments:
at 2:18 PM 
Nicci King said...
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at 2:53 PM 
laurenmarie said...
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at 2:55 PM 
laurenmarie said...
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Post a Comment*Lemon Beurre Blanc
1 cup white wine (something you would drink, remember)
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. shallots
4 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream
ΒΌ lb butter - unsalted, chilled, cut into cubes
2 Tbsp. lemon pulp - chopped
1 tsp. lemon zest - minced
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper (It's beurre blanc, remember?)
In a sauce pan over medium high heat, combine wine, vinegar and shallots. Reduce until almost a syrup consistency. Add cream and continue to cook reducing by half. Turn the heat to low and add butter cubes 2 at a time while stirring until all the butter is added and sauce is a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes 1 cup. But it's full of flavor and a little goes a long way...
This comment has been removed by the author.
I can't really believe they even used that word in an English spelling bee. That just seems so unfair! I've only known that word to be is the French word for butter, not anything in English. Is that even legal??
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