This Gordon Ramsay Brown Butter Sage Sauce is a rich and nutty recipe, which is made with fresh sage and garlic. It’s a simple, elegant sauce, perfect for elevating pasta or fish, and ready in about 10 minutes.
Jump to RecipeGordon Ramsay Brown Butter Sage Sauce Recipe Ingredients
- 113g unsalted butter
- 1 large clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
- 15g fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
- 0.5g ground black pepper
- Fine salt, to taste
How To Make Gordon Ramsay Brown Butter Sage Sauce Recipe
- Melt the Butter: In a medium, light-colored saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- Add Garlic: Once the butter has melted, it will begin to foam. When the foam subsides, add the chopped garlic. Stir constantly for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Brown the Butter and Add Sage: Add the chopped sage leaves to the pan and continue to stir and swirl the pan until the butter turns a golden brown color and has a nutty aroma. This should take 2–4 minutes.
- Season and Serve: Immediately remove the pan from the heat. The residual heat will continue to cook the butter. Season with black pepper and salt to taste. Drizzle over your chosen dish and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- What is the best pan to use for browning butter? Use a light-colored or silver pan, not a dark or nonstick one. This is crucial because it allows you to actually see the color of the butter changing, so you can pull it from the heat at the perfect moment before it burns.
- How do you prevent the butter from burning? Brown butter can go from perfectly nutty to burnt in a matter of seconds. Pull the pan off the heat just before you think it’s done. The carryover heat from the hot pan will finish the cooking process perfectly.
- How do I get a clearer sauce? As the butter melts, milk solids will foam at the top. For a cleaner-looking, more clarified sauce (a “beurre noisette”), you can use a spoon to skim this foam off the surface.
- Can I make this sauce ahead of time? Yes. A great tip for batch prep is to double the recipe, let it cool, and pour it into ice cube trays. Once frozen, you can store the cubes in a freezer bag and drop one or two directly into hot pasta for a quick, flavorful meal.
What To Serve With Brown Butter Sage Sauce
This rich, nutty sauce is a classic pairing for many dishes, especially from Italian cuisine:
- Pasta: Perfect with pumpkin or butternut squash ravioli, gnocchi, or fettuccine.
- Fish: Drizzle over pan-seared fish like sea bass, cod, or scallops.
- Vegetables: Excellent with roasted vegetables, especially butternut squash, sweet potatoes, or Brussels sprouts.
- Meat: A great accompaniment for chicken or pork cutlets.
How To Store Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- Refrigerate: Store the cooled sauce in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. It will solidify when chilled.
- Freeze: As mentioned in the tips, freezing the sauce in ice cube trays is an excellent way to store it for up to 3 months.
Brown Butter Sage Sauce Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 621 kcal
- Protein: 1g
- Fat: 70g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Sodium: 200mg
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
What exactly is u0022brown butteru0022?
Brown butter (or beurre noisette) is a simple sauce made by melting butter and allowing the milk solids to toast and caramelize. This process gives the butter a deep, nutty, and incredibly rich flavor that is far more complex than simple melted butter.
Can I use dried sage instead of fresh?
Fresh sage is highly recommended for this recipe, as its flavor is essential and it crisps up beautifully in the butter. If you must use dried sage, use a much smaller amount (about 1 teaspoon) and be aware that the final flavor and texture will be different.
Why did my butter burn?
The line between perfectly browned butter and burnt butter is very fine. It’s crucial to use medium-low heat, stir constantly, and watch it carefully. As soon as you see golden-brown specks and smell the nutty aroma, take it off the heat immediately.
Gordon Ramsay Brown Butter Sage Sauce Recipe
Course: SauceCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes5
minutes621
kcalA simple yet elegant sauce made from butter that has been cooked until its milk solids toast, creating a deep, nutty flavor, infused with fresh sage and garlic.
Ingredients
113g unsalted butter
1 large clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
15g fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
0.5g ground black pepper
Fine salt, to taste
Directions
- Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Once the butter foams and then quiets, add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the sage and continue to stir and swirl the pan for 2-4 minutes, until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty.
- Immediately remove the pan from the heat.
- Season with pepper and salt to taste, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a light-colored pan so you can accurately judge the color of the browning butter.
- Remove the pan from the heat just before it looks “done,” as the residual heat will continue to cook it.
- For a cleaner sauce, you can skim the foam from the top of the melting butter.
- This sauce freezes well in ice cube trays for quick, individual portions later.
