What’s Better Than Butter? Brown Butter!
Yummm! Brown Butter Peach Blackberry Crisp or Brown Butter Roasted Carrots –how can you resist? Brown butter in desserts or savory dishes adds another dimension of scrumptiousness.
I’ve loved brown butter (or beurre noisette if you are feeling French) for years, but only recently started using it frequently. That’s because I discovered how easy it is to make.
To understand what happens when you make brown butter, let’s talk about butter. It’s composed of butterfat, milk solids and water. These components separate when heated. With a little more heating, the water evaporates and, then, the milk solids toast, giving brown butter its rich, nutty flavor and golden color.
All you need to brown butter is a skillet and a stick of butter. If you use a light-colored ceramic skillet, it’s easier to monitor the color change, but any skillet works.
Place the skillet over medium heat. Add chunks of salted or unsalted butter. As it melts, swirl the skillet or stir the butter to keep it moving. The butter foams and bubbles. That’s normal.
Keep heating and swirling or stirring. The foam subsides and milk solids change from light yellow to dark golden brown. This takes from 3 to 7 minutes. You’ll know it’s done by the nutty aroma and the golden-brown color.
Quickly pour the butter into another container. Leaving it in a hot pan rapidly pushes it from delicious to burnt. Use your brown butter right away or refrigerate it in a covered container. In the refrigerator it will keep until the original butter package “best by” date.
Don’t wait—give brown butter a try. If you need more reasons to make brown butter, check out these recipes.
- Brown Butter Coconut Cream Pie
- Brown Butter Sweet Potatoes
- Brown Butter Apple Spice Waffles
- Brown Butter Pecan Pie
Have you tried browning butter or made any recipes with it? Let us know in the comments!
