"butter" news and stories

Julia Child. Photo: John Dominis, Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image

Somewhere Julia's chuckling.

The Boston Globe reports Tuesday that the doyenne of French cuisine's Cambridge home is now occupied by a vegetarian animal-rights activist, who -- since the release of "Julie and Julia" -- has been besieged by tourists snapping photos of her home and leaving butter, yes butter, on the fence post.

"It's a bit ironic," Lisa Landsverk said of her place at Julia's kitchen.

Photo: Not Eating Out in New York

Cathy Erway has cooked an artichoke or two -- or 12 -- in two years' worth of Not Eating Out In New York. But she claims to have never cooked a pretty artichoke ... until now.

When presented with a bag of the baby variety, Erway was initially stumped as to how to make them pleasing both to the palate and the eyes, at last deciding upon an ingredient that would do both justice: butter. After steaming them, she halved the hearts and browned them in a pan of butter before sprinkling the lovely layered veggies with minced, jewel-hued nectarines, sprightly lime juice and shallots.

Success! Because, as Julia Child taught us, everything is better -- and, quite obviously, more beautiful -- with butter.

[Via Not Eating Out in New York]

A little homemade fresh butter can make the world of difference in your cooking.

Instead of having to cut butter with a knife, you can use a butter dispenser (pictured to the right). Or, better yet, why not try out this new device that creates butter ribbons? You don't even have to exert energy to spread the butter on your toast. As ridiculous as this sounds and looks, how can you not be mildly intrigued?

Fellow blog Dvice explains that all you have to do is insert a stick of butter, twist the handle, and out comes a paper-thin ribbon of butter. Another blog, Bookofjoe boasts that it can turn each stick of butter into 10 feet of butter ribbon. But, don't fret, you don't have to use it all at once. You can leave the stick of butter in the dispenser and place it in your refrigerator.

The device also works with margarine. It's dishwasher safe, and it can be purchased from Amazon for just under $15. So, if you're concerned about accidentally cutting yourself when slicing butter, this is the perfect alternative. Forget sharp knives and decorate your toast in butter ribbons!

One of the most delicious ways to serve shrimp is to lather it in garlic butter. I learned this at a very young age, when my grandfather taught me the beauty of shrimp scampi and medium rare prime rib. The moment I had both, I became a gluttonous pig, making many servers double-take with my dinner orders. (And I never had to use a "doggie bag!")

Anyhow, most classic scampi recipes ask for some sauteed garlic that gets white wine and butter added to it. But have no fear -- if you have no white wines open or available, just use red. The flavor will, of course, be a little different, but it will still be darned good -- the wine flavor just works beautifully with the sinfully perfect melted garlic butter.