Halibut With Sorrel Beurre Blanc

A delicious beurre blanc-I know, "beurre blanc" may sound to you rather involved and oh-so fancy (fancy indeed!) but don't fret, it's easy as long as you prep your ingredients beforehand and follow directions carefully. Local recipe. Another fine example of a successful Oregonian-French 'partenariat'.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Yields: 4 halibut steaks

Ingredients

• 1  large shallot, minced (I thinly sliced the shallots instead)
• 1⁄2 cup white wine (we sampled a quite lovely Oregon pinot gris)
• 1  cup heavy cream
• 4  large sorrel
• 3  tablespoons  cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4  halibut fillets, preferably center-cut (approximately 6 ounces each)
•  olive oil
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper (used a coarse French grey sea salt)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. How to make the SORREL BEURRE BLANC: Combine the minced shallot and white wine in a small non-reactive saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced to about a few teaspoons. Be careful not to burn, reducing heat to low if necessary.
3. Add the cream and reduce further until quite thick.
4. While the cream mixture is reducing, remove the ribs from the sorrel leaves and cut them into a chiffonade. Chiffonade: roll leaves then cut cross-wise into thin ribbons.
5. Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Stir the sorrel into the reduced cream, add the cold butter, and blend until smooth using a hand-held blender, a blender or a food processor. ( I simply whisked the mixture well and skipped blending.).
6. Place the sauce pan in warm water or on a warm spot on the stove while you prepare the halibut.
7. HALIBUT: Drizzle the halibut filets with a little olive oil to coat them, then salt and pepper generously.
8. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the filets and your personal preference.
9. Transfer the halibut filets to dinner plates and spoon the sorrel beurre blanc over the top.
10. Delicious served alongside fingerlings or chive mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, fiddlehead ferns (see recipe #374970 for example) or steamed indigo carrots, as a suggestion.