White chocolate shrimp with beurre blanc

Set up a three-bowl breading station: one egg beaten with a cup of milk, a bowl of flour, and a bowl of plain breadcrumbs.

Dip each shrimp first in the flour, then the egg and milk, then the breadcrumbs.

Fry in vegetable oil preheated to 375F for two to three minutes until cooked through.

Beurre blanc: put the finely minced shallot in a saute pan with the white wine, white wine vinegar and the heavy cream.

Bring to a simmer and reduce until the liquid is almost entirely gone.

Drop the heat to very low and add the butter a few chunks at a time, whisking after every four or five chunks, into a smooth thick buttery emulsion that coats the back of a spoon.

Keep the heat low and lift the pan off it now and then, or the sauce breaks into a watery oily mess.

Variation: for a white chocolate beurre blanc use only four ounces of butter and whisk in four ounces of white chocolate the same way; it will start to break, and a few tablespoons of heavy cream bring it back.

Control version: plain melted white chocolate as a dip.