Photo: sassyradish, Flickr.

The technique of browning butter is a simple one, but adds tremendous complexity to the cooking staple, infusing it with a more flavorful, nutty taste. Beurre noisette ("hazelnut butter") -- achieved by cooking butter until the milk solids and salt particles darken and the water evaporates -- works equally well in salty and sweet dishes alike, adding additional depth to savory dishes and a subtle saltiness to cloying treats.

Writes blogger Sassy Radish, "If butter is a negligee, then brown butter is the merry widow." And in her poetic ode to the transformed beurre, she reinvents the tired pound cake, making it sophisticated and lush.

An extremely versatile addition, brown butter can be used as a rich, tasty alternative in any recipe with butter, from simple yet refined vegetable dishes (Brown-Butter Mashed Potatoes, Zucchini in Pecan Brown Butter, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnut Brown Butter) to dessert indulgences, like Food and Wine's Granny Smith Apple and Brown Butter Custard Tart.

In what dishes do you like to use brown butter?

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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.

When the menu for Bill Gates' dinner party with the Chinese President Hu Jintao was published, it sparked a lot of interest. Local ingredients, regional favorites, the overall low-key menu selection... etc.,  were all widely praised, but the vast majority of the interest in the menu was focused on dessert. The Seattle Times was inundated with requests for the recipe of the Rhubarb Brown Butter Almond Cake that was served at the dinner. Of course, they complied with reader requests and obtained the recipe from the chef. Just to make sure it was as good as it sounded, food blogger Molly, of Orangette, made a batch of mini cakelettes using the recipe. I can only imagine the taste, but if it's even half as good as it looks, this recipe makes one fantastic cake. The full recipe can be found here, and the cakelette recipe can be found at Orangette.