It’s Not Your Imagination: Butter Can Make Everything Better

Butter gives savory food more depth, adds umami to soup, and is irreplaceable in dessert.

Adding unrivaled flavor, depth and structure to a range of dishes, butter is wonderfully versatile as both a sauce itself and the foundation for one. Dreamstime/TNS

It’s no secret that butter makes everything taste better.

Adding unrivaled flavor, depth, and structure to a range of dishes, butter is wonderfully versatile as both a sauce itself and the foundation for one. Butter emulsifies soups and stews while adding a boost of umami. It is a bread basket essential and the best spread for toast, bagels, scones, and muffins.

When creamed for a cake or cookie batter, butter increases the loft and intensifies the sweetness. What would mashed potatoes, grilled steak, or steamed asparagus be without that crowning pat of melting butter?

Transforming liquid cream into solid butter is culinary magic. Centuries ago, Irish women prayed to the goddess Brigid, patron of farms and fields, as they churned their fresh milk to assure it would become rich, smooth and as tasty as soft cheese. Throughout history, butter has been a food for celebration and served as a medicine, a healing salve for wounds and burns as well as treatment for bronchial ailments.

Whether shaken in a jar, turned in an old-fashioned butter churn or rotated in an industrial metal tank, the process works the same way. As the cream membranes break open, the fats separate and clump together into a ball. The liquid left behind, called buttermilk, is a thin and watery “skim milk,” not the cultured buttermilk on supermarket shelves. (I tasted that “skim milk” while visiting Minnesota’s Hope Creamery on a blistering hot August afternoon, and it was clear and cold and wonderfully refreshing.)

Butter was introduced to the Americas by pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower. It was a farmhouse kitchen staple until the Great Depression and World War II. The turmoil brought shortages and rationing, allowing margarine, made from vegetable and animal oils, to take its place. Then came the low-fat diets of the 1980s, when butter took a back seat to healthier alternatives. But in the early 2000s, researchers discovered that the nutrients in natural butter are far healthier than the trans fats in margarine. Plus, it tastes so much better. Butter is back.

Given our region’s dairy history, it’s no wonder our local butter is the envy of chefs nationwide. Years ago, Lucia Watson, founding chef of the beloved former Lucia’s Restaurant, set out on a quest to identify the best local butter. “We live in the nation’s largest dairy region,” she said, and promptly hosted a butter tasting.

Testers, including me, tried salted and unsalted butters from 11 local companies (small and large), to identify those glossy, luxuriously creamy, dense, and silky butters that hinted of our verdant fields. In the salted butters we looked for a balance of salinity and sweet cream; in the unsalted we sought that full-on dairy flavor. Our group was divided over preferences for cultured unsalted butter with a light, cheesy tang or those of straightforward pure cream. It’s no surprise that the group preferred the smaller, artisanal varieties made with grass-fed dairy.

As with olive oil, vinegar, and other essential ingredients, different butters have different uses. Most professionals prefer unsalted butters, often the cultured, to add tang and to control the levels of salt. But, to be honest, I like the salted butter of our Minnesota makers, whose balanced flavors I trust.

To quote Julia Child, “With enough butter, anything is good.” This simple everyday staple deserves our attention.

Polenta With Browned Butter and Roasted Carrots

Serves 4.

Golden polenta, sweetly roasted carrots, drizzled with thyme-infused browned butter, makes a simple, stellar vegetarian dish, much of which can be made ahead. Time allowing, make the polenta the night before so it’s really firm and easier to shape into discs. If you’re short on time, feel free to use the premade polenta from the refrigerated case in the grocery store. You can make the carrots a day ahead and rewarm in the oven before serving. And when browning the butter, be sure to keep an eye on it as it transitions from yellow to become dark and nutty; don’t let it burn.

For the polenta:

• 4 cup water
• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal, medium grind

For the roasted carrots:

• 1 pound carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch “fingers”
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt
• 2 teaspoons chopped thyme
• Pinch coarsely ground black pepper

For the browned butter:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 thyme sprig, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Lemon wedges, for garnish

To prepare the polenta: In a medium heavy saucepan set over high heat, bring the water and salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and slowly whisk in the cornmeal until the mixture thickens. Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the polenta becomes quite thick. If necessary, thin it by stirring in a little water. Grains should be swollen and taste cooked and slightly sweet, not raw, when done, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before scooping out the polenta with a large spoon and shaping into discs.

To prepare the carrots: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the carrots on the sheet pan, toss with the butter and oil. Sprinkle with the salt, thyme and pepper. Roast the carrots until caramelized brown, shaking the pan occasionally, about 15 to 20 minutes.

To prepare the browned butter: In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter until it begins to foam. Add the sprig of thyme and stir occasionally, watching until the butter begins to brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the stove and whisk in the lemon juice.

To finish the dish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Arrange the polenta discs and roasted carrots on the parchment to warm in the oven.

Remove and arrange the polenta and carrots on a serving plate and drizzle with the browned butter, garnish with chopped fresh thyme and serve with lemon wedges.

Compound Butters

Makes 1/2 cup.

Take a stick of unsalted butter and season with fresh herbs and lemon, or chili and lime, or berry jam, and you have the most versatile ingredients for sparking a range of dishes. Whether savory or sweet, these add richness and depth to the most ordinary foods. Make them ahead and store in the freezer.

Lemon Thyme Butter:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Generous pinch coarse salt

In a small bowl, beat together all of the ingredients. Shape into a roll and wrap in parchment, twisted at both ends. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months or freeze.

Serve on baked sweet potatoes, poached chicken and baked fish, or toss with pasta or rice.

Chile Crisp Butter:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon chile crisp, or your favorite hot sauce, to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

In a small bowl, beat together all of the ingredients. Shape into a roll and wrap in parchment, twisted at both ends. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months or freeze.

Serve on roasted sweet potatoes, polenta, and cornbread.

Orange Marmalade Butter:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 to 3 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon blood orange juice, or lemon juice
• Light pinch salt

In a small bowl, beat together all of the ingredients. Shape into a roll and wrap in parchment, twisted at both ends. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months or freeze.

Serve on pancakes, crêpes, muffins, toast, scones, and oatmeal.

Whipped Olive Oil Butter:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Pinch salt

In a small bowl, beat together all of the ingredients. Transfer into a crock or jar, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months, or freeze.

This blend is light, fluffy, yet rich; spread it on baguettes, croissants and baked potatoes.

Butter Steamed Broccoli With Parmesan Crisps

Serves 4 to 6.

Easy and elegant, this method transforms ordinary broccoli into a stellar side dish. Try it with cauliflower, carrots or parsnips, too. From Beth Dooley.

• 1 cup panko topping or toasted breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 large head broccoli (2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup water, or more as needed
• Pinch salt

In a small bowl, toss together the panko, melted butter, pepper, and Parmesan.

Trim the bottom of the broccoli stems. Separate the florets from the stems and cut the stems into 1/2-inch pieces.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large sauté pan with a lid set over medium-high heat, melt the butter, then add the broccoli and water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook the broccoli until bright green and firm-tender, about 5 minutes. If there is any water left in the pan, drain it off.

Distribute the panko-Parmesan topping over the broccoli and toast in the oven until the top is golden and crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve hot.