Cultured Butter
Butter churned from fermented cream, in the French and northern European tradition. Tangy, rich, and complex, with a flavor plain butter does not have.
France
France brings the technique: cultured butter from fermented cream, and brown butter, the beurre noisette of its kitchens. French dairy craft favors fermentation and gentle cooking.
Brown Butter
Butter cooked until the milk solids toast and turn nutty: the French beurre noisette. Not a product but a preparation, made in minutes from any butter.
Clarified Butter
Butter with its water and milk solids removed, leaving clear golden butterfat. It has a higher smoke point than whole butter and a clean, concentrated flavor.
Compound Butter
Softened butter beaten with herbs, aromatics, or sweeteners, then chilled in a log or tub. A slice melts over hot food as an instant sauce.
Garlic & Herb Butter
A compound butter of butter, garlic, and usually parsley and salt. It is the spread for garlic bread and the finishing butter for snails, steak, and shrimp.
Lemon Butter
A compound butter of butter, lemon juice, and zest. It is bright and clean, made to melt over fish, shellfish, and vegetables.
Beurre Blanc
A French butter sauce of wine, vinegar, and shallots reduced and whisked with cold butter. It is a sauce rather than a spread, but butter is its substance.
Fromage Blanc
A fresh French cheese of curdled milk drained to a soft, spoonable consistency, similar to quark. It is mild, fresh, and slightly tart, often sold in tubs like yogurt.
Crème Fraîche
A French cultured cream, thick and velvety with a mild, nutty tang, around 30 to 45 percent fat. It is more stable in cooking than sour cream and less tart.
French Vanilla
A premium vanilla ice cream made from a cooked egg-yolk custard base, rather than plain sweet cream. It is richer, denser, and yellower than standard vanilla.
Salted Caramel
An ice cream of caramel-flavored base with ribbons of salted caramel sauce. Sweet, buttery, and lightly salty, it is the modern parlor standard.
Sorbet
A frozen dessert of sweetened fruit juice or purée and water, with no dairy. It is dense, intensely fruity, and icy-smooth when churned well.