Dill Cream Sauce with White Wine

Here's a simple cream dill sauce recipe that you can whip up to go with your next fish dinner. Made with crème fraiche and fresh dill weed, chopped weed, it is the perfect accompaniment to poached salmon. You can make this dill sauce as your fish is cooking, or if you prefer, make it first and keep it warm on very low heat while you concentrate on perfecting your fish. Be sure to use fresh dill weed to make this sauce. If you really can't find fresh dill weed, you can use freeze dried dill, but I wouldn't bother with dried. I don't know if you've ever noticed, but dried dill tastes like nothing at all. I have not bothered to strain this dill sauce recipe, so it is a bit clumpy with shallots. If you want to go the extra French mile, you can strain it through a chinois (fine mesh sieve) before adding the second part of the fresh dill weed.

2 shallots, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
½ cup white wine
3 Tbsp. fresh dill weed, chopped, divided
1 cup crème fraîche
1 tsp. Dijon style prepared mustard
sea salt
white pepper, freshly ground

Melt the butter on low heat in a small sauce pan. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes. The shallots should not brown, otherwise they will turn hard and bitter.

Pour in the wine and add half of the fresh dill weed, chopped. Turn up the heat to medium and boil the liquid until about ¼ cup remains.

Turn down the heat and stir in the crème fraîche and mustard. Warm through and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining dill just before serving.

Makes about 1 cup.