Compound butter
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/New_York_Strip_with_Beurre_Maitre_d%27Hotel%2C_potatoes_and_creamed_spinach.jpg/220px-New_York_Strip_with_Beurre_Maitre_d%27Hotel%2C_potatoes_and_creamed_spinach.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Kronfleisch_%28skirt_steak%29%2C_a_traditional_Bavarian_dish_often_served_with_onion_rings%2C_rye_bread%2C_composed_butter_%28with_herbs_and_garlic%29_and_horseradish.jpg/220px-Kronfleisch_%28skirt_steak%29%2C_a_traditional_Bavarian_dish_often_served_with_onion_rings%2C_rye_bread%2C_composed_butter_%28with_herbs_and_garlic%29_and_horseradish.jpg)
Compound butters (French: beurre composé, pl. beurres composés) are mixtures of butter and supplementary ingredients. Primarily, they are used to enhance flavor in various dishes, in a fashion similar to a sauce.[1][2][3]
Compound butters can be made at home or purchased commercially. A compound butter can be made by whipping additional elements, such as herbs, spices or aromatic liquids, into butter. The butter is then reformed, usually in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and chilled until it is firm enough to be sliced. These butters can be melted on top of meats and vegetables, used as a spread or used to finish various sauces.
Warm beurres composés include:
- Beurre blanc
- Beurre au citron – lemon butter
Cold beurres composés include:
- Beurre à la bourguignonne – garlic and parsley butter
- Beurre Maitre d'Hotel, butter with parsley and lemon juice
- Café de Paris butter
References
- ^ Auguste Escoffier (1903), Le Guide culinaire, Editions Flammarion
- ^ Julia Child (1961), Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Alfred A. Knopf
- ^ Larousse Gastronomique (1961), Crown Publishers
(Translated from the French, Librairie Larousse, Paris (1938))
External links
Media related to Compound butters at Wikimedia Commons