Beurre Manié

A  beurre manié (pronounced bare mahn-YAY), French for "kneaded butter," is a combination of fat and flour used to thicken at the end of normal cooking time.  It can be a life saver if a sauce or stew turns out to be to thin when almost done.  Simply kneed (roughly) equal parts of pliable butter and flour together by hand, and stir in until completely combined.  If thickening with a beurre manié, the dish should not be cooked more than an additional minute or two as a starchy taste can develop if allowed to cook longer