Butter is making headlines again in American media, most recently with an editorial by food writer Mark Bittman of the New York Times, and followed by a string of many others wheying in (forgive the pun) on the topic. Apparently, butter can be put back on the beloved list.
Personally I wonder if it ever went away. Long before I decided to try to make it from our milk at the farm, I was a lover of butter. When girlfriends swapped butter for unsaturated oils, I stood by my butter dish. Butter has never been a villain in my eyes. Everything in moderation, right?
Perhaps this love of butter stemmed from my Grandma Johnson. She cooked virtually everything with butter, always had a hunk of butter on the table at dinner time, and even placed pats of butter in our hot cereal each morning during our visits. Butter was like the equivalent of a warm, loving family embrace.
Bittman says: “Julia Child, goddess of fat, is beaming somewhere. Butter is back.”
Considering the fact that Ireland is known for its amazing grass-fed creamery butter, a butter priced at a premium and highly sought after in American grocers, it seems Bittman could possibly be preaching to the choir in our case.
I suppose his main point is that sugar and ultra-processed (often labelled as low-fat) foods are now the “real food enemies”, and that butterfat is far better for you than we ever imagined. That’s all well and good, but since I enjoy butter for pleasure and not health, I don’t think I will be eating it by the bowlful anytime soon.
Still, I’ve never been one to pooh- pooh a party, so please allow me to share an irresistible recipe for sun-blushed tomato butter.
This formula is my careful estimation of a compound butter that was served at an Italian eatery in Manhattan that I once loved to frequent. The butter, which was delivered to your table with a basket of fresh crusty bits of bread upon being seated, may have been the sole reason for eating there. Whipped until light and airy, it spreads like a dream and tastes even better. You can also melt over grilled fish or vegetables.
Sun-blushed
tomato butter
250g unsalted butter at room temperature
60g sun-blushed tomatoes packed in oil (blot off excess oil)
2 small or medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Mix the butter with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Mince the sun-blushed tomatoes or purée them in a food processor. Add tomatoes to the butter with the garlic, thyme, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Mix until well combined and fluffy.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until needed. (The butter also freezes well.) Bring to room temperature before using.
Be warned, moderation may prove futile; this stuff is addictive.
Butter is making headlines again in American media, most recently with an editorial by food writer Mark Bittman of the New York Times, and followed by a string of many others wheying in (forgive the pun) on the topic. Apparently, butter can be put back on the beloved list.
Personally I wonder if it ever went away. Long before I decided to try to make it from our milk at the farm, I was a lover of butter. When girlfriends swapped butter for unsaturated oils, I stood by my butter dish. Butter has never been a villain in my eyes. Everything in moderation, right?
Perhaps this love of butter stemmed from my Grandma Johnson. She cooked virtually everything with butter, always had a hunk of butter on the table at dinner time, and even placed pats of butter in our hot cereal each morning during our visits. Butter was like the equivalent of a warm, loving family embrace.
Bittman says: “Julia Child, goddess of fat, is beaming somewhere. Butter is back.”
Considering the fact that Ireland is known for its amazing grass-fed creamery butter, a butter priced at a premium and highly sought after in American grocers, it seems Bittman could possibly be preaching to the choir in our case.
I suppose his main point is that sugar and ultra-processed (often labelled as low-fat) foods are now the “real food enemies”, and that butterfat is far better for you than we ever imagined. That’s all well and good, but since I enjoy butter for pleasure and not health, I don’t think I will be eating it by the bowlful anytime soon.
Still, I’ve never been one to pooh- pooh a party, so please allow me to share an irresistible recipe for sun-blushed tomato butter.
This formula is my careful estimation of a compound butter that was served at an Italian eatery in Manhattan that I once loved to frequent. The butter, which was delivered to your table with a basket of fresh crusty bits of bread upon being seated, may have been the sole reason for eating there. Whipped until light and airy, it spreads like a dream and tastes even better. You can also melt over grilled fish or vegetables.
Sun-blushed
tomato butter
250g unsalted butter at room temperature
60g sun-blushed tomatoes packed in oil (blot off excess oil)
2 small or medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Mix the butter with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Mince the sun-blushed tomatoes or purée them in a food processor. Add tomatoes to the butter with the garlic, thyme, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Mix until well combined and fluffy.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until needed. (The butter also freezes well.) Bring to room temperature before using.
Be warned, moderation may prove futile; this stuff is addictive.
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