"Butter" news and stories

A couple nights ago, in the 90-degree summer heat, I tried making whipped cream. It's a neat trick: pour heavy cream into a mason jar, cap, shake, voila! But beware of shaking the cream too vigorously, thus creating butter. As I did. I'm sure Deschutes' president Gary Fish can feel some empathy.

Last weekend, Bend, Oregon's Deschutes Brewery was ready to release its Reserve Series Black Butte XXII, a supercharged porter brewed with cocoa nibs, then partly aged in bourbon barrels. It's one of Deschutes' crown jewels. That's why it's such a shame that it's mostly going down the drain.

According to Fish, the chocolate used in this year's recipe coagulated in the dark beer, forming a buttery top layer. Uh, yum? "While the beer tastes perfectly fine, the visual in the bottle is not up to our long-held commitment to quality and positive customer experience," Fish said in a statement.

Your supermarket shelf stocks more than plain old salted and unsalted bars of butter. Here, a few of our favorite choices.

Looking for an easy, decadent sauce to serve with fish? Try this French classic.

• Simple tips for a hassle-free Thanksgiving.
• Compound butters pack an amazing punch.
• A pre-roasting milk bath is a good alternative to salt-brining your holiday bird.
• But don't forget the gravy.
• Here's an American culinary tradition you've probably never heard of: tomato pudding.
• Cranberries are good for the adult kind of "sauce" too.
• Should you have a catastrophe on the big day, try one of these turkey hotlines.
• Add a Thai twist to turkey leftovers.

Seasoned butters elevate dishes from simply buttery to utterly refined, in just a few simple steps.