Lemon-Garlic Butter Sauce for Seafood

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup bottled clam juice (can substitute chicken stock)
• 0.5 cup cooking sherry dry
• 0.5 cup milk whole with 5 tbsp water)
• 1 Tbsp garlic minced
• 1 Tbsp shallots minced
• 1  bay leaf 
• 1 Tbsp butter unsalted
• 1 Tbsp flour 
• 0.5 pound butter unsalted (2 sticks)
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper white
• 1 Tbsp juice of lemon 

Equipment

• sauce pan
• whisk

Directions

1. Simmer and reduce the liquids, with garlic, shallots, and bay leaf:
2. Place first six ingredients (clam juice, sherry, whole milk, garlic, shallots, bay leaf) in a small saucepan.
3. Heat on medium high heat and let simmer until the liquids have reduced by about half.
4. Make a roux: In a separate saucepan (1-qt minimum) prepare the roux.
5. Heat one tablespoon of butter in the saucepan on medium heat until it is foamy.
6. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring a couple of minutes with a metal whisk until well mixed (tan, but not browned).
7. Slowly add liquid mixture to roux: Slowly add the reduced mixture to the roux, stirring quickly to incorporate. When you first add some of the mixture, the roux will bubble up. Just keep adding the mixture and keep whisking to incorporate.
8. Slowly incorporate butter, 2 Tbsp at a time: Lower the heat to low.
9. Remove the bay leaf. Slowly whisk in the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time.
10. Let the butter tablespoons fully melt and be incorporated into the sauce before adding more tablespoons.
11. Stir in lemon juice, salt, and white pepper.
12. Add some more clam stock or water if the sauce is too thick.