Delicious Citrus Beurre Blanc!

Citrus Beurre Blanc

1/4 cup dry white wine
2 TB cup orange juice (or water)
2 TB cup lemon juice *
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 tablespoons chopped shallot
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces


In small saucepan combine wine, orange juice, lemon juice, and shallot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about 1/4 cup and is almost syrupy. (Be patient. It takes 15 to 20 minutes.)

Turn heat to medium-low. Stir in lemon zest. Add butter, a piece at a time, whisking until each piece is melted before adding the next piece. (You might have to drop the heat to low. If the sauce gets too hot it will curdle.) Purists like to strain out the tasty bits of shallot and zest, but we leave ’em in. Sprinkle with fresh herbs just before serving over cooked fish, chicken, or veggies. (Keep the sauce warm in a thermal coffee mug, but be sure there is no residual coffee aroma in the mug. Ugh! Or keep it warm in a double boiler. It doesn’t reheat well: it likes to curdle.)

*Tip: Remove the yellow zest with a microplane or fine grater before you squeeze the juice from the lemon. It’s easier that way.

Hotdogs for cookbook with Mom:

You can show how saucy you are by the choice of tortilla chips you put on top. Blue corn? You’re a traditionalist. Buffalo wing flavor? You’re a fire-eating devil. Ranch flavor? You’re a fusion cooking wiz.

3 12-ounce cans or bottles Mexican lager beer (like Dos Equis, Pacifico, Sol, Corona)
1 small sweet onion, sliced
1 medium red sweet pepper, seeded cut in thin strips
1 poblano pepper, seeded and cut in thin strips
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded if you want (they’re hotter if you don’t, so how hot is hot enough for you?) and sliced

8 all beef hot dogs

¼ cup Creole mustard (or your favorite – but Creole is just the best)
¼ cup sweet pickle relish

8 hot dog buns, toasted

Tortilla chips, crunched up

In a Dutch oven or other big pot bring beer to boiling. Add onions and sweet and hot peppers. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes. Add hot dogs and simmer 4 minutes more or until vegetables are very tender and hot dogs are plump and heated through. Fish out the hot dogs and cover with foil to keep warm.
Drain vegetables; coarsely chop 'em if you want. Stir in mustard and pickle relish. Serve hot dogs on buns piled with the vegetable mixture and sprinkled with some tortilla chips.