Butter.

There’s just no substitute to it when it comes to flavour and the different textures it can bring to your cooking.

If you’re like me and live in North America you may have had an interesting relationship with it over the years. Like so many ingredients it’s been vilified by the media and food companies. And in my younger years I was quick to follow the voices that be and believed the hype. At the moment it’s back in the good books but it’s such a great reminder that just because someone tells us something doesn’t mean we have to believe it to be true. Because the most important thing is that no one knows what’s best for us better than….well, us.

It comes down to personal discernment.

It’s the most important word we can all learn no matter what we’re talking about. Food. Health. How we choose to live. What we say. The clothes we choose. Anything really. Because what works for me may not work for you - what tastes good to you may not taste good to me. When we consume anything the filter that matters most is your own. Does this actually align with me? Do I actually believe this or am I blindly following what someone else says just because they said it?

Because the French have been happily eating butter all these years even when it was touted as the devil over here and they’re actually probably better for it - or at least everything has tasted better, that’s for sure.

And speaking of delicious, let’s get into what I want to share with you today shall we?

The beauty of butter.

Butter really does make anything taste better whether you’re using it in a sauce or simply spread on some hot sourdough with a good smear of marmalade (the sweet & bitter combo is always my favourite) It’s an instant flavour boost and can add so many layers of texture depending on how you’re using it.

There’s also something so very pleasurable about butter. Something that I think alot of us have lost at some point or another when it comes to food and the cooking of it.

It’s supposed to be a pleasurable experience.

When you can savour and truly enjoy your food its something your body will appreciate so much more.

When there’s less guilt, shame, restriction our body can actually process food so much better than when we’re stuck in any of these feelings.

So let’s dive into some of the creative ways you can use it to add flavour and yes pleasure to your food.

Compound butter - this is an easy one that doesn’t really even require cooking. Allow your butter to come to room temperature and mix in any flavours you like; fresh herbs, lemon or other citrus zest, garlic & shallot, spices, chilies you name it. Mix in your flavouring and then roll it into a cylinder by putting it on some saran wrap then wrapping it and twisting the edges, then rolling it gently to get a little round log, then popping it in the fridge to firm up. When it’s firm, just slice a round or two and add as a finishing flavour to any meat, or vegetables.

Brown butter - when you brown butter it gets this beautiful toasted, rich flavour that you just can’t replicate. It adds a whole new depth of flavour to sauces, baking and so much more.

To make browned butter add a stick of unsalted butter to a pan and melt over medium heat. Let the butter melt and watch for it to start to foam up, stirring it occasionally. From here its just a watching game. You’ll start to see brown specs in the butter and it will begin to turn an amber colour. It will also start to smell nutty. Once the foam has mostly cleared and it’s turned colour, remove it from the heat into a bowl to stop it from cooking. Brown butter can easily go from brown to black and burned so you have to keep watch and be quick to get it off the heat. The brown butter will keep for a few weeks in the fridge.

Butter sauce - I talked about the magic of butter sauces in Awesome Sauce

Butter for poaching - this is one I love to do for fish or chicken or vegetables. Some will go all butter but I think that’s a little overkill so I’ll usually do half butter half stock and add some aromatics. Heat to an almost boil and add your ingredients. Always feels very luxurious for how easy it is to do. You can use the leftover liquid to add to a sauce or a soup. Freeze it in ice cube trays for little flavour bombs to use at your leisure.

Butter basting - another easy one but if you’re roasting any kind of meat or vegetables add some knobs of butter and it’ll combine with the juices of your meat - spoon this over your meat while its roasting to help infuse the flavours into the meat.

Butter & oil - if you want the flavour of butter with high heat cooking, add a bit of neutral oil like grapeseed or canola in the pan with your butter and that’ll help increase the smoking point.

These are just a few options you can get creative with. And this is the whole thing for me. Understand techniques and ingredients so you can find your own inspiration, your own groove in the kitchen. Yes, it takes some practice and might feel a bit daunting to toss a recipe and just play but I promise it’s worth it and that you have everything you need to cook this way.

One last note, if you can find somewhere near you that sells French butter, it’s worth the investment sometimes. Good ingredients really can change your life and the way you enjoy your food and cooking.

*Thanks to the Holistic Venus for the best visual for today’s newsletter.*

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