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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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