Butter Sauce Recipe

Name: Dal Granos Butter Sauce Recipe
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 cups unsalted butter; 1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil; 2 each garlic cloves, minced; 1 each shallot, finely minced; 2 tbs fresh lemon juice; 2 tbs dry white wine or low-sodium chicken stock; 2 tbs heavy cream (optional for silkier finish); 2 tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped; 1 tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional); 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 cups pasta cooking water (reserved)

Inspired by Dal Grano

Time20m

Serves4

Make Butter Sauce Recipe in just 20m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.

Was this page helpful?

Help improve this recipe for others.

Send this recipe to your inbox.

We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.

Ingredients

Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Butter Sauce

1 cups Unsalted butter

1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

2 each Garlic cloves, minced

1 each shallot, finely minced

2 tbs fresh lemon juice

2 tbs dry white wine or low-sodium chicken stock

2 tbs heavy cream (optional for silkier finish)

2 tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 tsp Celtic sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cups pasta cooking water (reserved)

Method

Butter Sauce

Prepare ingredients

Mince the garlic and shallot finely. Chop the parsley and grate the Parmesan if using. Measure out lemon juice, wine (or stock), cream (if using) and set aside. Reserve about 1 cup of starchy pasta cooking water before draining fresh homemade pasta.

Sweat aromatics

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter melts and begins to foam but not brown (about 1 minute), add the minced shallot and cook gently for 2–3 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30–45 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly to avoid browning.

Deglaze

Add the white wine (or chicken stock) and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 1–2 minutes, scraping any bits from the pan, until the liquid has reduced by about half.

Finish the sauce

Reduce heat to low. Add the remaining butter in 1–2 tablespoons at a time, stirring or whisking to emulsify each addition into the liquid. After all the butter is incorporated and the sauce is glossy, stir in the lemon juice and heavy cream (if using) and warm through for 30 seconds. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Adjust consistency with pasta water

If the sauce is too thick, add up to 1/2 to 1 cup of the reserved starchy pasta water a little at a time, stirring until you reach a silky, lightly coat-the-pasta consistency.

Finish with herbs and cheese

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley and grated Parmesan (if using). The residual heat will melt the cheese and marry flavors without breaking the emulsion.

Toss with fresh pasta

Add freshly cooked homemade pasta directly to the pan with the sauce. Over low heat, toss or gently fold the pasta with the sauce for 1–2 minutes so each strand or piece is evenly coated. If needed, add another tablespoon of reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Serve immediately.

Storage and reheating

If you have leftover sauce, cool to room temperature, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of water or cream to re-emulsify if it separates.