Butter

Butter Tastes Better

The old way of making butter
 (New Larousse Gastronomique)

Butter.  - Fatty substances extracted from the milk of mammals, known and used as food by man.  The origin of butter goes back to the early nomadic people who used the milk of goats, cows, ewes, mares, she-asses and she-camels to prepare it.
The Aryans brought butter to inhabitants of India, who soon considered it a sacred food.
The Hebrews used butter as a medicine as well as food.  Abraham offered buttered, a typical meal, to three men who came to his tent in the plains of Mamre.  In his proverbs, Solomon says: 'Surely,  the churning of milk bringeth forth butter . . . .'.
The Scythians also had butter and brought it to the Greek, and it uses to spread throughout the civilised world.
People living in some southern countries, like the Romans, used oil much more than butter in their cooking.  This preference still persists in certain parts of the south of France, mainly in Provence, where oil plays a principal role in all the dishes.

A short history of butter, according to my book, New Larousse Gastronomique.

Friendly Family Feast-My Sunday Best

Succulent Loin Pork Wrapped in Portobello Mushrooms

Served with Compound Butter-Sage Brown Butter.

Compound Butters

1. Butters mixed one or more substances, generally reduced to a purée or chopped.
2. Butters cooked to various degrees, or melted, seasoned and served spiced; an accompaniment to numerous fish, meat and vegetable dishes.

 Compound butter of the first category is used either in sauce and various dishes, or as a garnish for cold hours-d'æuvre.

Sample of compound Butters:

 - Brown butter,  - cook 150 g butter to a dark brown colour.  Add 2 tablespoons washed and dried parsley leaves and 1 tablespoon capers.  Pour the butter into a sauce boat or over the food with which it is to be served, and add a tablespoon vinegar heated in the same pan.
Uses: this brown butter is served with eggs, vegetables boiled in salted water and several other dishes.

 Sage and salted butter

My home cooking for a Sunday Best, delicious and succulent Pork wrapped in Portobello mushroom is added with one of the compounds butter; sage brown butter.  The sage goes very well with pork.

Juicy and succulent pork.

It is a beautiful home cooking for a family dinner, maybe for a special occasion as we all are busy to do cooking every day.  The pork fillet is cooked perfectly, the brown butter dressed the dish deliciously.  Peas are the excellent garnish, it is a vegetable which is available all year round, definitely a family favourite.



Other Compound butter that may be common for home-style cooking:
Anchovy butter- desalt and dry 75 g anchovies fillets and pound them in a mortar with 200 g butter.
Uses for certain sauces, as a garnish for cold hors-d'ævre.  It is also an excellent accompaniment for grilled fish and meat.
Mustard butter-add 2 tablespoons mustard to 200g butter softened to a paste.  Blend well.
Uses: the same as Anchovies butter
Chive butter-shred green chive and blanched, drain, dry, and pound them in a mortar.  Add in the same weight of butter.
Uses Accompaniment to grilled meat and fish.
Kneaded butter- blend 75g butter and 100g flour into a smooth paste.
Uses: to bind some sauces.

Butter keeps well in a container.

Well if you use butter for cooking,  maybe you can be more adventurous now using these compound butter.    Enjoy your food, be creative and have fun.

I do love the taste of butter for my toasts; indeed, it tastes better, it is natural.

Butter to be continued, stay tuned.

Hope you all had a great day

Thank You For Stopping By

Until Next Posts

Susy