How to make brown butter and how to use it

If you haven't heard of brown butter , today a world will open up before you. Brown butter, also called noisette butter, hazelnut butter, brown butter, or toasted butter, is the ingredient that works wonders in any recipe, whether in pastries or savory recipes, and it's super easy to make. Brown butter levels up any recipe you make with it (some people call it "liquid gold" for a reason!).

Most popular in France and known there as beurre noisette or brown butter in English, it takes its name from the aroma it contains (it takes on an incomparable hazelnut flavor ) and from its color (the butter turns a toasted color).

Today I'm going to tell you how to toast butter to make the popular Beurre noisette and how to use it. It will take you 5 minutes to prepare it and you will be surprised by everything you can do with it!

How to make brown butter or brown butter

Preparing brown butter is a breeze. You want to remove the non-fat part of the butter (ie remove the whey, water), and then toast the butter until it's golden or light brown, without burning.

To make it, you only need half a stick of butter or a whole stick and a saucepan or skillet. I'll tell you how to do it:

1. Cut the butter into cubes, of a similar size so that it melts and toasts evenly.
2. Put it in a saucepan or a tall skillet and turn the heat to medium power.
3. Let the butter melt completely (about a minute) and keep it there, stirring constantly.
4. You will see that it begins to bubble, followed by a period of intense splashing. It is the whey (the part we want to remove) that begins to evaporate.
5. Keep it on the fire until it stops exploding, without stopping stirring. Lower the heat to a minimum if it splatters a lot. The process will take you about 4 or 5 minutes.
6. When the butter stops splattering, you'll see a light bubbly foam forming, the butter has started to turn golden brown, and there are some solids in the liquid (these are the milk solids, which will sink to the bottom). minute you will have the brown butter ready!
7. To know that you have the noisette butter ready, there are two indicators: first, the color, which should be golden like gold and the solid remains take on a toasted color (never too much, or it will have burned!). The second indicator is the smell: after a minute after stopping the splashing and already taking on the golden color, you will begin to smell a toasted, caramelized, hazelnut aroma. You already have it!
8. If you want a smooth noisette butter, at that point you can remove it. If you are looking for a more intense noisette butter, keep it on the heat for another minute, stirring constantly, to toast it more without burning it, or you will ruin the caramel flavor you have achieved.
9. When it is at the desired point, it is important to remove it into a heat-resistant container or bowl (if it was kept in the saucepan, it would continue to toast with the heat it retains).

Brown butter can be more or less toasted, but it shouldn't burn (sample of lightly browned and slightly more toasted butter):

WMF Fusiontec saucepan, WMF bamboo board and Pallarès butter knife

Note: Brown butter is also called beurre blond or beurre brun .

How to use brown butter or hazelnut butter

Although traditional butter is creamy and helps you prepare recipes wonderfully, brown butter is another world, it is the ingredient that, due to its aromas, will improve any recipe in which you use it.

You can use the brown butter liquid (after losing temperature, if you want) or store it in the fridge tightly covered, it will solidify and you can use it the following days.

Uses for brown butter:

• For biscuits : any recipe that includes butter should actually call for brown butter: substitute some of the butter in your recipes with it.
• Add it as an ingredient in your biscuits : everyone loves biscuits... but they'll love them even more if you make them with noisette butter.
• To make pancakes : add the touch of hazelnut butter on your pancakes.
• To have some toast for breakfast: nothing to do with enjoying breakfast with traditional butter or brown butter.
• Add it to the granola , you will see how delicious it tastes and how the flavor of the noiesette butter marries in it.
• Add it to waffle recipes.
• Add the aroma of hazelnut to your crepe recipe.
• Toast chickpeas on a tray with herbs and the beurre noisette, they take on an incomparable flavor.
• Add it to popcorn when you make it sweet at home.
• Fried eggs , broken, in the microwave, to make tortillas... that are with a touch of this butter on top, you will enrich their flavor, while adding the other condiments with which you are going to accompany them.
• When you prepare mixed sandwiches , toast them in noisette butter, you'll see that I turn those traditional sandwiches around!
• On pasta : add a drizzle of liquid butter to your cold pasta salads, or sauté the pasta in a pan or wok with noiesette butter when serving it hot (don't forget to add your other ingredients in that pasta, from anchovies to cheese, dried tomatoes, olives, vegetables...
• Prepare the fish , either on the grill or in the oven, with noisette butter: you will love a good splash of that butter, both on white and blue fish.
• Apply it in the mashed potato : you will be surprised how good the potatoes are with their flavor.
• Also on baked potatoes .
• Sauté the vegetables in a pan or in a wok with the noisette butter, or add it when you grill the vegetables. Surely you know how good vegetables taste with the flavor of nuts.
• To roast meats , either on the grill or in the oven -add the butter on the base of the grill or brush the meat that you put in the oven (or add a good chunk of butter on the base of the cocotte or tray in which it is placed). prepare).
• Make bread with noisette butter, such as soda bread: it's easy to add noisette butter into the recipe and it will add nutty flavor to the bread.
• To make sauces : mix the brown butter with herbs, spices, vinegar, lemon, mustard, honey, fruit... The mixture with any of these ingredients can be used to season fish, meat and sauces. Try your favorite mixes!

I hope I have convinced you about the use of Brown Butter. Since I discovered it, I always have my little bottle in the fridge to use it for everything. If you dare to do it, I have no doubt that the same thing will happen to you. I'd love for you to tell me!

Claudia.

NOTE! Difference Between Browned Butter and Ghee

Often when talking about browned butter one thinks of ghee, or it can be confused, but they are not the same. It is true that both ghee and browned butter are products derived from butter, but they differ in their manufacturing process and in some of their characteristics.

Ghee is a type of clarified butter that originates from India. It is produced by melting butter over low heat, allowing the fat to separate from the water and milk proteins. The solid waste and water are then removed, resulting in a purified, golden fat, which is traditionally used in Indian cooking and Ayurvedic medicine. Ghee has an intense flavor and is very stable at high temperatures, making it ideal for cooking and frying.

Brown butter , on the other hand, is butter from which the water has been removed and cooked over medium-low heat until the milk solids are browned, giving it a rich flavor and aroma. toasted walnut Browned butter is slow cooked and not fried, as cooking at too high a temperature can cause the milk solids to burn and lead to a bitter taste. Unlike ghee, browned butter retains the milk solids, giving it a slightly grainy texture. Browned butter is often used in French cooking and baking to add flavor and aroma to breads, cakes, sauces, and other dishes.

In summary, the main difference between ghee and browned butter is that ghee is produced from clarified butter, removing solid residues and water, while browned butter is slowly cooked until the milk solids are browned. and are retained in the final product. Both products have distinctive flavors and uses in the kitchen, and are commonly used in different types of dishes or recipes .