Meaning & use
beurre noisette
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountabletechnical
Butter that has been heated until the milk solids turn golden brown and it smells nutty.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'some beurre noisette', not 'a beurre noisette'.
Patterns
- make beurre noisette
- cook something in beurre noisette
The chef finished the fish with a spoonful of beurre noisette.
To make beurre noisette, melt the butter and keep cooking until it smells like hazelnuts.
Common combinations
- make beurre noisette
- She learned to make beurre noisette in her first cooking class.
- a hint of beurre noisette
- The sauce had a hint of beurre noisette that made it taste richer.
- beurre noisette sauce
- The menu listed the dish with a beurre noisette sauce.
Synonyms and how they differ
- browned butter
- This is the everyday English name for the same thing; use it when you are not writing for chefs or food experts.
Commonly confused: beurre noisette or beurre blanc?
beurre noisette vs beurre blanc
Beurre blanc is a different French butter sauce, made with shallots and wine; it is pale, not browned.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'beurre noisette' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Beurre noisette is made by cooking butter until it browns, so it fits in a cooking instruction. It is not a spread for toast, a cheese, or something you add to coffee.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “beurre noisette”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.