Ahhhh Wonderful butter ... different foods / different butter?

[CatIsHungry]

11 minutes ago, jedovaty said:

 

I plead the 5th...

 

There's something about a thick cut slice of cold butter on bread that does it for me.

 

😳 Were YOU the guy i saw driving down the road nibbling on a stick of Land O Lakes ?!?! 😲 ... I mean - c’mon - I love butter, too but - dude ... 😲

[AlaMoi]

17 hours ago, CatIsHungry said:

 

That is beautiful looking Butter ... I guess Amish Butter beats out (any other Butter every day of the week and twice on Sundays 😁 

 

that's a lump of our home-churned.  I keep it in foil because butter does pick up 'off flavors' from the fridge.

 

with a stand mixer, home-churned is dead duck simple.

2 cups heavy whipping cream (yes, ultra pasteurized does work...)

using the whisk, low speed to develop a foam

high(er) speed to make whipped cream

higher speed until it gets grainy

then slow down a notch - eventually the water comes out of the butter fat in a flash

you go from 'grainy-getting lumpy' to 'butter and buttermilk' in 4-5 seconds.

left on high speed, it splashes and makes a big mess.....

massage the butter mass into a ball, squeezing out the buttermilk.

 

in some 20 minutes you've got really fresh butter.

and, use it/a portion for the most sublime compound butter(s) on the planet....

and the buttermilk for pancakes / waffles, add bacon & real maple syrup.

 

be sure to allow time to recover from the euphoria - it's that good a stuff....

 

Edited November 1, 2019 by AlaMoi (log)

[CatIsHungry]

@AlaMoi Well this is a darn sight easier than when we did it back in Sunday school - shaking the little gerber baby jars til our arms about fell off! Seriously, you make it sound just crazy simple and make it look ridiculously delicious! I will have to try this soon! Thanks so much for taking the time to explain your process 😃

[SLB]

Right now I'm mostly committed to Vermont Creamery after being holed up in Vermont for work for a couple of years which coincided with a nod from Dorie Greenspan.  If I have it, I use the "lightly salted" for smearing and eating, and the unsalted for all other situations.  I actually don't bake with it because I'm not a super experienced baker, and my understanding is that the european-style high-fat butters can confound old US recipes, and I have no idea how to adjust.  So for baking I use Cabot Creamery unsalted, unless I'm sure the higher-fat butter is not going to put some wrench in things I'm supposed to know how to adjust for.  (Can you spot my fondness for a particular state?)

 

Truthfully, I'm interested in supporting the New England dairies generally, including the Hudson Valley folks.  (Ronnybrook, for example, is pretty widely available in NYC, and it's the only milk that I think is drinkable.  I don't really drink milk often, though, so it's mostly all about the cream).  But we were talking about butter.  For years I bought Kerrygold exclusively, until I realized that it just did not make sense to import my basic butter when I live down-valley from some seriously extraordinary dairies.   I'm a globalist, but not with that quality of local option alongside that kind of carbon footprint. 

 

But, sigh.  I do love me some Kerrygold.  

[CatIsHungry]

@SLB I like Vermont Creamery! At least their products I’ve tried anyway 😀 (cultured butter and creme fraiche) - excellent products! Hey - no one can blame you for wanting to support your state - not a soul 😁 ...

 

I have heard of Ronnybrook, but haven’t had the opportunity to try it ...

 

I had never heard of higher fat butters confounding old baking recipes — wait - I guess to some degree, I have ... I have seen the odd recipe here and there call specifically for margarine and instructions specifically my to use butter ... same for using lard, etc. As far as older recipes that specify butter as an ingredient and higher butterfat - I just barrel on with my normal butter 😂 ...

 

I do quite a lot of baking and have many  handed down recipes from my paternal grandmother (my mom, God love her - fantastic cook, but couldn’t bake a thing) and from my wonderful mom-in-law ... and of course other baking recipes blah blah blah - I use all the same butter to no ill-effects that I’m aware of 🤞

[nickrey]

I use various types of butter. Some bought butter has more water in it than others, which makes it good in shortcrust pastries. I also make my own butter but use a culture overnight with the cream (as you would to make yoghurt) and then make the butter in the morning. It's delicious and as a by-product gives an exceptional tang to the buttermilk. 

[chromedome]

11 hours ago, CatIsHungry said:

@AlaMoi Well this is a darn sight easier than when we did it back in Sunday school - shaking the little gerber baby jars til our arms about fell off! Seriously, you make it sound just crazy simple and make it look ridiculously delicious! I will have to try this soon! Thanks so much for taking the time to explain your process 😃

 

I'll emphasize that while it is easy, you need to be really, really, really diligent about rinsing every bit of buttermilk out of the butter itself. Otherwise it gets inedibly funky within a day or two (or just freeze it immediately and only take out a pat or two as needed). Still not difficult, but it's easy to fall at that last hurdle.

 

Adjusting recipes isn't rocket science, though there's a bit of "feel" to it. Mainstream butter runs about 85% fat (give or take) so if you're switching to lard or a low-fat butter you cut back the amount slightly and add a bit more moisture. Some recipes require a bit more trial and error than others, of course.

 

[jedovaty]

Have any of you tried Ferrarini brand butter for pastries?  My so-cal costco only carries salted Kerry Gold and this Ferrarini unsalted.  It's cheap there, but quite pricey in regular grocery stores.  Tastes more like cream to me, rather than butter, I do enjoy it as a change for straight up eating once in a while (I haven't used it for anything else).

Edited November 3, 2019 by jedovaty (log)

[CatIsHungry]

On 11/2/2019 at 8:28 AM, chromedome said:

 

I'll emphasize that while it is easy, you need to be really, really, really diligent about rinsing every bit of buttermilk out of the butter itself. Otherwise it gets inedibly funky within a day or two (or just freeze it immediately and only take out a pat or two as needed). Still not difficult, but it's easy to fall at that last hurdle.

 

Adjusting recipes isn't rocket science, though there's a bit of "feel" to it. Mainstream butter runs about 85% fat (give or take) so if you're switching to lard or a low-fat butter you cut back the amount slightly and add a bit more moisture. Some recipes require a bit more trial and error than others, of course.

 

 

😁 Thanks @chromedome

[CatIsHungry]

On 11/3/2019 at 6:56 AM, jedovaty said:

Have any of you tried Ferrarini brand butter for pastries?  My so-cal costco only carries salted Kerry Gold and this Ferrarini unsalted.  It's cheap there, but quite pricey in regular grocery stores.  Tastes more like cream to me, rather than butter, I do enjoy it as a change for straight up eating once in a while (I haven't used it for anything else).

 

 

I haven’t tried it ... I haven’t checked my other local grocers, yet though - i will look for it next time I do (and I am not a Costco shopper) ... sounds interesting - anything that tastes like cream can’t be bad, right? 😁☺️😋

[Toliver]

If it helps, eG member @andiesenji posted her method of making butter in this post (click).

[CatIsHungry]

😁 Thanks @Toliver

[andiesenji]

I saw this thread last Thursday and was going to post about my method but became distracted with a medical problem and spent most of the day at Urgent Care hooked up to monitors and having a couple of vampires draining my blood and sticking stuff into me.

(They really were dressed up as vampires. High Desert Medical Group does Halloween in a big way!)

 

Anyway when I finally got home I was too exhausted to even look at the computer.  I had been instructed to REST and take some new meds for my afib, blood pressure &etc.

 

I still make my own butter most of the time.  It's not difficult with the correct tools. Some large butter pats are essential because nothing else works out the residual liquids as well.  About every 4th time I make cultured butter, but if you don't like that flavor, don't bother. 

If you can find Manufacturing Cream, the butterfat is higher than  heavy cream and the flavor is better, especially for baking delicate cakes that don't have a strong flavor.  

[jmacnaughtan]

I'm amazed that nobody has mentioned Bordier yet. It's good, probably the only butter I can eat without bread - I believe it's from Saint Malo, but according to their site you can get it all over France. No idea whether it's exported though.

 

Last Saturday for a party, I took 1.5kg of it and bashed it into a single pat. It's been a dream of mine for a while to just serve a huge mound of good butter, and it went down well - between about 20 of us, we got through more than 600g. Needless to say, I'm now pretty good for butter

 

 

I'm not entirely sure I'd have the nerve to host a purely bread, butter and wine party, but I still think it would be an excellent thing to do...

[teonzo]

1 hour ago, jmacnaughtan said:

I'm not entirely sure I'd have the nerve to host a purely bread, butter and wine party, but I still think it would be an excellent thing to do...

 

Come on, it's easy peasy for you, we are already waiting for the photos.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[Chimayo Joe]

I guess maybe i have had cultured butter.  Cultures are included in the ingredient lists of President(at least the salted variety) and Private Selection Salted French Butter..  i did a quick side by side comparison of the 4 salted butters i have in my refrigerator now (Kerrygold, Danish Creamery European Style, President, and Darigold Farmers Reserve.) It was just on their own and on a bit of toast. I liked President the best of those.

Edited November 6, 2019 by Chimayo Joe (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

15 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

I'm amazed that nobody has mentioned Bordier yet. It's good, probably the only butter I can eat without bread - I believe it's from Saint Malo, but according to their site you can get it all over France. No idea whether it's exported though.

 

Last Saturday for a party, I took 1.5kg of it and bashed it into a single pat. It's been a dream of mine for a while to just serve a huge mound of good butter, and it went down well - between about 20 of us, we got through more than 600g. Needless to say, I'm now pretty good for butter

 

 

I'm not entirely sure I'd have the nerve to host a purely bread, butter and wine party, but I still think it would be an excellent thing to do...

Bordier is indeed one of France's fine butters.    (We've veered toward Beillevaire, but there are dozens of small producer butters as well as quite amazing stuff sold under private label).   

But more important, I LOVE the idea of a bread, butter and wine party, and can think of a couple of handfuls of friends who would vie for an invitation!     Thanks for a great idea.

 

ETA, reflecting on the guest list you've prompted, I really like the idea of a pot-luck bread, butter and wine party!     

Edited November 6, 2019 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[jmacnaughtan]

17 hours ago, teonzo said:

 

Come on, it's easy peasy for you, we are already waiting for the photos.

 

 

Well, after this weekend I should probably go easy on all three for a while

 

3 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Bordier is indeed one of France's fine butters.    (We've veered toward Beillevaire, but there are dozens of small producer butters as well as quite amazing stuff sold under private label).   

But more important, I LOVE the idea of a bread, butter and wine party, and can think of a couple of handfuls of friends who would vie for an invitation!     Thanks for a great idea.

 

ETA, reflecting on the guest list you've prompted, I really like the idea of a pot-luck bread, butter and wine party!     

 

 

I haven't seen Beillevaire around - is it Norman?  And a pot-luck would be good, but you'd need a way of stopping everyone bringing the same baguette and butter.

 

I think I would potentially upgrade to a bread, butter and champagne party. Butter and champagne work surprisingly well together.

[CatIsHungry]

23 hours ago, andiesenji said:

I saw this thread last Thursday and was going to post about my method but became distracted with a medical problem and spent most of the day at Urgent Care hooked up to monitors and having a couple of vampires draining my blood and sticking stuff into me.

(They really were dressed up as vampires. High Desert Medical Group does Halloween in a big way!)

 

Anyway when I finally got home I was too exhausted to even look at the computer.  I had been instructed to REST and take some new meds for my afib, blood pressure &etc.

 

I still make my own butter most of the time.  It's not difficult with the correct tools. Some large butter pats are essential because nothing else works out the residual liquids as well.  About every 4th time I make cultured butter, but if you don't like that flavor, don't bother. 

If you can find Manufacturing Cream, the butterfat is higher than  heavy cream and the flavor is better, especially for baking delicate cakes that don't have a strong flavor.  

 

@andiesenji thank you! I have been doing some research / reading and read your post Toliver posted - I appreciate the time and effort you’ve taken into putting your knowledge down for us. 

 

I like cultured butter - I definitely think it has its place ... I don’t believe at this time I am up to making my own, though 😁 - I don’t want to get too many projects going at once and fail at all of them 😉 ... perhaps at the beginning of the year I will be more up to revisiting it and start easy with a sweet cream butter. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

8 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

I  haven't seen Beillevaire around - is it Norman?  And a pot-luck would be good, but you'd need a way of stopping everyone bringing the same baguette and butter.

 

I think I would potentially upgrade to a bread, butter and champagne party. Butter and champagne work surprisingly well together.

 

He has several stand-alone shops in Paris.   I believe he's located in Loire-Atlantique.

 

The crazies I would invite would bring astounding stuff, nothing prosaic.    We have extraordinary artisan butters locally (North Bay) and quite amazing breads.  

 

I used to suitcase Bordier's flavored butter home but it somehow got ahead of me.   I have citron, vanille and algue in my freezer.     The algue is interesting melted on lamb chops or steak as you might an anchovy butter.   In the long run, it is easy enough to make your own compound butters when you want an additional flavor.

 

The best butter I have encountered in France is Le Ponclet.   Unfortunately, it is very limited supply and almost never available outside of select restaurants.     It is occasionally featured at Epicerie Papa Sapiens on rue Bourgogne in the 7th.   

 

[jmacnaughtan]

15 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

 

He has several stand-alone shops in Paris.   I believe he's located in Loire-Atlantique.

 

The crazies I would invite would bring astounding stuff, nothing prosaic.    We have extraordinary artisan butters locally (North Bay) and quite amazing breads.  

 

I used to suitcase Bordier's flavored butter home but it somehow got ahead of me.   I have citron, vanille and algue in my freezer.     The algue is interesting melted on lamb chops or steak as you might an anchovy butter.   In the long run, it is easy enough to make your own compound butters when you want an additional flavor.

 

The best butter I have encountered in France is Le Ponclet.   Unfortunately, it is very limited supply and almost never available outside of select restaurants.     It is occasionally featured at Epicerie Papa Sapiens on rue Bourgogne in the 7th.   

 

 

OK, I'll keep an eye out for both him and Le Ponclet. 

 

I don't think I'd want to use butter this expensive in cooking (although I have been thinking about mashed potato with Bordier). The seaweed butter is excellent, I find it tastes almost exactly like red caviar and just have it on bread. 

 

I've heard mixed reviews about the vanilla butter, and I'm not sure I'd enjoy it.  The strangest one I've had from them is their buckwheat, with pieces of toasted buckwheat mixed in - it was interesting, but I wouldn't pay extra for it.

 

Weirdly, in the Grande Epicerie, the 125g and 250g of their standard salted butter are the same price No idea how that works.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Just an aside here, Bordier has received a lot of ink both paper and internet, so it is foremost in many people's minds when they speak of premium (French) butters.    But there are many, many small producers in every butter-making/consuming country that are as good, maybe better.    And sleepers are found in hinterland supermarkets that stock local product that is quite amazing.    But even Monoprix's own cultured butter is very good at an "almost free" price.     

 

The most interesting aspect is how butters differ.    Comparing excellent against excellent, they will vary as much as cheeses do.    A wonderful project to find, taste and compare.

[jmacnaughtan]

On 11/7/2019 at 6:55 PM, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Just an aside here, Bordier has received a lot of ink both paper and internet, so it is foremost in many people's minds when they speak of premium (French) butters.    But there are many, many small producers in every butter-making/consuming country that are as good, maybe better.    And sleepers are found in hinterland supermarkets that stock local product that is quite amazing.    But even Monoprix's own cultured butter is very good at an "almost free" price.     

 

The most interesting aspect is how butters differ.    Comparing excellent against excellent, they will vary as much as cheeses do.    A wonderful project to find, taste and compare.

 

True- and I am a huge fan of Monoprix's own unpasteurised butter. Almost at the same level as Bordier, but half the price (and I don't have to schlep so far to get it).

 

I find small-dairy butters can be hit or miss. When they're good, they're excellent, but all too often they keep them stored in the same place as their cheese and the flavour really suffers. Small-dairy cream on the other hand is almost always phenomenal.

 

Do you know any interesting butter dairies in Burgundy? I'm going over to Dijon in a couple of weeks, so it might pay to take a look around. I don't think Gaugry do butter, but there must be other cheese places that do.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Siorry, I don't.    Perhaps start your search on the ground, asking locally for producers.   And again, don't overlook checking out country supermarkets, Intermarche, Carrefour, Super U and friends for serendipitous finds.