Steamed Artichokes with LemonBeurre Blancare a fantastic appetizer for sharing, or a light first course. *Serves 2 as a first course and 4 as a shared appetizer.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Total Time50 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, First Course
Cuisine: French, American
Keyword: recipes with artichokes, great for sharing
Prepare the artichokes. Rinse the artichokes and then use a Chef’s knife to cut off about 1 inch from the top of each one, and enough off of the bottom to form a base. Remove any especially tough outer leaves and discard them. Then use kitchen scissors to cut off about ¼ inch or so from the tops of the leaves (the sharp tips).
Steam. Fill a large pot with a few inches of cold water, and place a steamer basket or rack on top. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Then turn the heat to low.Place the artichokes in the steamer basket (or on the rack), drizzle each one with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, cover, and steam until tender, about 45 minutes. Check by pulling off an outer leaf — it should come off easily.
For the Lemon Beurre Blanc
Make the sauce. You should make the sauce towards the end of the steaming time. Over low heat, melt about 1½ tablespoons of the butter in a small sauté pan. Add the shallots and cook just to soften, about 2 minutes. Then add the lemon juice and wine. Turn the heat up a bit, and let it gently simmer until all but about 2 tablespoons have evaporated. Turn the leat to the lowest setting, add the remaining pieces of butter and gently swirl the pan until it's melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's how.)
Assembly
Once the artichokes are cool enough to touch, gently spread the leaves apart and drizzle the sauce over and between the leaves. Serve!