Leeks in White Wine Sauce | Delicious Braised Leeks Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make a white wine and leek sauce? ›

Sweat the leeks in the butter in a large pan over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and sweet. Add the wine and turn up the heat. Bubble to reduce the wine until it has almost evaporated (about 2 minutes). Stir in the cream, lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes until just coating the leeks.

To cook: Leeks can be boiled, braised or steamed. Sliced leeks should be cooked for 5-7 minutes until tender but still firm. Whole small leeks should be cooked for 10-15 minutes until tender but still firm, top with a cheese sauce and then brown under a preheated grill for 5 minutes or until golden.

Season leeks with soy, maple, sesame oil, and mirin. Top with sliced garlic and a few knobs of butter around the outside of the pan. Add just enough stock to cover leeks halfway, bring to a boil and pop into over to roast until caramelized and tender when pierced with a knife.

Leeks should never be browned, or overcooked, because it will turn them into slimy mush. Instead, cook them until they are tender. They need to be cooked carefully and with a watchful eye because it's easy to undercook and overcook them.

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency.

“Since they're reminiscent of a mild onion with a slight vegetal quality, the obvious pairing would be Sauvignon Blanc, but I like Verdejo,” says Morgan Slade, food and beverage director of the buzzy Quirk Hotel, a Two Roads Hospitality hotel, in Richmond, Virginia.

It's truly simple once you've cut them! Heat some olive oil or butter in a skillet over medium high heat, then add the leeks. Cook them, stirring often, until they are just soft and just before they begin to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Keep your eye on them, because they can easily get browned if the heat is too high!

Cleaning and prepping whole leeks

Cut straight through, up to and through the green ends of the leek, leaving the pale part of the leek whole. Rinse: Fan open the leek and place under cold running water. Rinse out any dirt or sand.

Arrange the leeks in one layer in a baking tray or earthenware dish and roast in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until golden and almost caramelized. Keep your eye on them - I've seen many chefs burn baby leeks when cooking them this way and it drives me mad!

Leeks are the mildest of the onion family and really shine when they're cooked, offering a lovely subtlety to dishes and a delicate, melty texture. Typically, the white and light green parts are consumed, while the dark green tops are left out, being full of fibers and hard to chew.

Why do you soak leeks in water? ›

However, washing leeks is particularly essential because they get LOTS of dirt and grit stuck in them during the growing process. Fortunately, a quick slice and swish in a bowl of water easily helps all that dirt fall out of your leeks and into the bottom of the bowl.

Now, pay attention: Simmer your leeks gently in well-salted water. Don't let them boil and don't let them go too long. They should be tender and silky, not mushy or stringy. Conversely, if not cooked enough, they'll be unpleasantly chewy.

Caramelization on the bottom: Use a fork to check if the leeks are indeed golden on the bottom and if they are, gently flip them over and cook on the other side for another 10 minutes or until golden.

Season with salt and add a tablespoon of butter. Stir to melt the butter and combine. Cook down the white parts of the leeks for 15-25 minutes, quickly “caramelizing” them (true caramelization would take 45-60 minutes, but this is our quicker version!).

Cooking With White Wine

As evidenced by fondue, white wine works well with dairy. Using wine in place of some or all of the vinegar in classic beurre blanc and Béarnaise sauces will make them less acidic and more complex.

Ingredients: Leek Flower (95%), Water, Salt, Flavour Enhancer (E621), Preservative (E211).

Flavor Boost

The alcohol in your red wine has an interesting dissolving effect on the fats (like olive oil or butter) in your sauce. The result is the release of their flavors, which contributes to the sauce as a whole. Keep in mind that a splash of wine needs time so the alcohol can sufficiently cook off.

Demi-glace is an incredibly rich, thick sauce that's made from reducing brown (veal or beef, traditionally) stock and red wine or Espagnole sauce down to an almost syrup consistency. It's commonly used as a stand-alone sauce in classic dishes or as a base for other sauces.