We Found Something Even Better Than Butter

It’s hard to beat butter. Plain, perfect butter can make almost every dish better.

But what if you could improve upon the classic? Josh Green founded Brooklyn Buttery on the notion that butter can be great on its own but also as a conduit for even more flavor. With a high quality butter as the base the addition of flavors like lemon or Sriracha can make for a surprising addition. It’s basically like an instantaneous sauce,

While you can buy the butters of Brooklyn Buttery we decided to have Josh over to give us a little lesson in compound butters - the name for butter combined with other flavors. He talked through the types of ingredients that work; how long you can keep different compound butters; and recipe ideas.

Watch the video and as a bonus we have the two recipes you see in the video, below

Lemon Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
6 oz. pasta (such as egg tagliolini, bucatini, or spaghetti)
3 Tbsp. lemon Butter (either Brooklyn Buttery or a compound butter using lemon, zest and butter)
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan
1/3 cup finely grated Pecorino

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and cook, swirling pan, until toasted, about 1 minute.

Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to skillet and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and remaining butter. Reduce heat to low and add Grana Padano, stirring and tossing with tongs until melted. Remove pan from heat; add Pecorino, stirring and tossing until cheese melts, sauce coats the pasta, and pasta is al dente. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Transfer pasta to warm bowls and serve.

Maple Butter Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:
8 large carrots, peeled
6 tbsp. maple butter (either Brooklyn Buttery or a compound butter using butter and maple syrup)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

Instructions:

Cut carrots into 2" lengths, then halve or quarter the pieces lengthwise so that all the carrots are in equal-size strips.
Melt butter in a large heavy sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add carrots, cover, and braise, stirring occasionally, until carrots are fork-tender, 20–30 minutes.

Increase heat to medium. Cook for 2 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Plate and season with thyme, salt and pepper