Brown butter, explained

by Marisa McClellan, Posted May 16th 2008 @ 12:05PM

The first time I came across the term 'brown butter,' I was reading a menu at an Italian restaurant. I was 20 and functioned under the firm assumption that butter was bad. I couldn't imagine why any thinking person would create a sauce that was based solely on butter. However, one of my dining companions ordered that pasta dish and when the plates arrived, I was entranced by the sweet, nutty smell that was gently rising from her plate. She noticed my fascination and offered me a bite. The forkful of pasta instantly converted me from a butter avoider to a butter lover .

Despite my affection for butter, I don't use brown butter in my own cooking frequently. However, since reading Nicole's post on Baking Bites that details how to make it, I'm thinking that I need to cook up a batch and find an excuse to gently toss some veggies or pasta in it.

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Filed Under: On the Blogs, Ingredients, How To
Tags: baking bites, BakingBites, brown butter, BrownButter, browned butter, BrownedButter, dairy, Nicole Weston, NicoleWeston

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-16-2008 @12:12PM peggy said... hubby was a kitchen manager for speghetti factory when we married and i fell in love then. it has continued to be a favorite on veggies(since i gave up pasta pretty much), but brocoli with brown butter and myzithra cheese is just shy of heaven!
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5-16-2008 @1:34PM Kelly Shay said... Brown butter is amazing - but turn it into a vinaigrette and it becomes even more sublime. Check out Charlie Trotter's original book - the maroon one - it has a great recipe for Brown Butter Vinaigrette - it goes really well with grilled fish or grilled vegetables
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5-16-2008 @4:17PM Unika said... Mmm...my favorite dish at The Spaghetti Factory...Mizithra cheese & browned butter. I tried duplicating it once, while in college, and realize now that my failure to really brown the butter is what was lacking (I was afraid of burning it!). Maybe I'll give it another try!
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5-16-2008 @3:36PM Hillary said... I never understood what brown butter was, but your description of its nuttiness makes it sound quite good. I go back and forth about my thoughts on butter!
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5-16-2008 @8:33PM Jonathan said... Sage brown butter pasta is one of the more scrumptious things in the world. Something about the warm nuttiness of the butter, and the subtle sagey flavor just transforms the world into a happier place. Basically, you gently fry some finely chopped sage in some butter until it's brown, and then toss that with pasta. Some tasty variations are adding red pepper flakes, ginger, or diced tomatoes, or you can really go all out and after it's done cooking, pour in a goodly amount of parmesan cheese and some of the pasta water, and stir that up into something like a simpler, lighter alfredo sauce (that last one is from Bitten http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/recipe-of-the-day-pasta-with-butter-sage-and-parmesan/)
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