White Wine French Braised Leeks are an elegant, simple and outstanding side dish for any holiday or more sophisticated meal. They roast up beautifully with a delicate flavor and are coated in a light, mustard beurre blanc sauce that is outstanding. Find out how to make this beautiful dish in the recipe below.
Fall and spring are the seasons for leeks – a vegetable that is somewhat underutilized in the United States but a common side in France and other countries in Europe. However, being a vegetable lover, I decided I really wanted to incorporate some of these under utilized cool season vegetables into my life. I decided to use a technique that is common in France and one that is common in my kitchen too – braising. My White Wine French Braised Leeks recipe is a nod to Europe’s love of this vegetable and creates a side dish or a light meal that is rich, luscious and simply delicious.
What are leeks?
If you are not familiar with leeks, they are in the Allium family along with onions, garlic, shallots and chives. They have a very, very mild onion flavor and that sweetens ever so slightly when they are braised. They are considered an ancient crop and native to the Mediterranean. The edible part of the leek is the white root up through the light green part of the leaves. The darker parks of the leaves are often used when making stock or stews.
What is in my White Wine French Braised Leeks recipe?
For my White Wine French Braised Leeks recipe I really wanted to keep it simple, but still make it sophisticated. In Europe they do not tend to add as many spices and salts to dishes as we do in the U.S. It is a delicate simplicity that allows the highlighted ingredients to shine through. My recipe includes extra virgin olive oil, leeks, white wine, chicken stock, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, capers, butter and a little coarse sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. The leeks are cooked in the white wine and chicken stock and then the lovely mustard, butter and caper sauce is made after they are done braising.
Topping the White Wine French Braised Leeks recipe
While you can 100 percent eat the leeks recipe as described above, I decided to add on a topping to give the dish a little more complexity and crunch. I combined crushed walnuts, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and parsley to make a lovely and simple topping. The bread crumbs and the parmesan really soak up the thin sauce nicely. The walnuts give it a nice texture and I always love adding on fresh herbs to give my recipes some brightness.
How to cut the leeks
For my White Wine Braised Leeks recipe I decided to cut my leeks into about 2 inch pieces and then cook them on both sides before simmering. I cut off the very bottom of the root and then from there just went up two inches until the light green started to become too dark and course.
Cooking the leeks
Similar to all of my braised chicken recipes on the site, I cook the leeks on each side before covering the pot. They cook for 2 minutes on the first side and then two minutes on the side side. I won’t lie, flipping them can be a bit of a pain. I recommend using a fork to help you flip them over. I find a spatula is too large and tongs squeezes them a bit too much and they pop out. Once both sides have been cooked, the white wine and stock are added to the pan and then the pot is covered. Everything simmers nicely for 30 minutes.
Making the sauce
When 30 minutes is up, the leeks will be nice and tender. I remove them and place them on my serving dish and then I lightly cover them to keep them warm. Then, I let the sauce in the pan reduce for a few minutes before adding in more white wine, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, capers and butter. I continue to stir gently until the butter melts and then lightly whisk everything together. It is simmered for 5 minutes before it is done. The sauce will be a lovely light color and a gentle mustard butter flavor. It is a thin sauce – a soup like consistency. It is poured over the leeks and then served or topped with my walnut mixture.
Tips for making my White Wine Braised Leeks recipe
- Try to keep all the pieces of the leeks consistent. This will allow for even cooking.
- Really pay attention to the heat during this process. If you noticed the leeks getting too dark during the first part of the cooking you can reduce the heat a little. However, you really want to have some of that beautiful char on a few of the pieces.
- Use coarse sea salt and fresh cracked pepper for the best flavor. Also use the best extra virgin olive oil you can find.
- When making the sauce, again, pay attention to the heat. If you overcook it the butter may start to break on you.
- Can I make this without the wine? I do not recommend that.
- I use this small food processors {HERE} to chop the walnuts. It is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. I like to pulse it to make sure they are nicely crushed but also nit completely pulverized. Sometimes you can find them pre-chopped.
- The topping will make more than enough and you do not have to use it all.
- This is the braising pan I use {HERE} and I cook almost everything in.
To save leftovers
To save leftovers from my White Wine French Braised Leeks recipe I place them in an airtight container and put them in the refrigerator. I have reheated these using the microwave for about 3 minutes. You can also place them back on the stove over low heat until they are warm.
Looking for main dishes for the French Braised Leeks recipe?
- Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs {HERE}
- Dijon Pork Tenderloin {HERE}
- Classic Steak Au Poivre {HERE}
- Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon {HERE}
- French Onion Chicken {HERE}
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs {HERE}
- Mediterranean Baked Cod {HERE}
- Caramelized Wild Mushroom Pasta {HERE}
- Beef Tenderloin in the Oven {HERE}
Looking for other side dish recipes?
- Classic French Bistro Salad {HERE}
- Buttered Roasted Radishes {HERE}
- Oven Roasted Carrots with Dill Gremolata {HERE}
- Creamy Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes {HERE}
- French Green Bean Salad {HERE}
- Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan {HERE}
- Roasted Bacon and Brussels Sprouts {HERE}
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Thank you so much for visiting today, friends. I hope you love my White Wine French Braised Leeks recipe. You can find a full, printable recipe below with all the ingredients and steps. Happy eating.
White Wine Braised Leeks recipe
Equipment
- 17 inch enamel cast iron pan with a lid You may use a sauté pan if it has a non-stick bottom too but cast iron or enamel cast iron will be best for the even heating. Make sure whatever you are using has a lid or can be covered in some way.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6-8 leeks, cleaned and sliced into rounds about 2 inches thick
- 1/3 cup white wine + 1/4 cup white wine The 1/4 cup of white wine is to be reserved for the sauce.
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 4 twists fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp capers
Ingredients for the Walnut Breadcrumb topping
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped finely
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat cast iron or enamel cast iron pan over medium to high heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil. When it is shimmering, add the leeks and cook 2 minutes. Then flip them over and cook for an additional 2 minutes on the second side.
- Add in the 1/3 cup white wine and the chicken stock. then sprinkle the sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper over the leeks. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
- While the leeks are simmering, mix together the finely chopped walnuts, parsley, parmesan, breadcrumbs and lemon juice in a bowl. Set this aside until you need it.
- When the leeks are done remove them from the pan. Then turn the heat up to low- medium and reduce the broth in the pan by about 1/3. Then add in 1/4 cup white wine, the heavy cream, Dijon mustard, butter and capers. Continue to heat on low, stirring constantly until the butter is fully melted. Then reduce the heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Continue to stir occasionally and make sure your butter does not begin to separate. The sauce will be thin but nice and creamy.
- Once the sauce is done, spoon it over the leeks and then top the leeks with the walnut breadcrumb topping.
- Serve with noodles, crusty bread or another main dish and season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
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