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France Six Compound Butters

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By Steven Raichlen

Published 1998

  • About
On The Side
Back in the B.C.C. (Before Cholesterol Consciousness) era, butter was an indispensable ingredient not only to the chef but also the grill jockey. The French have a venerable tradition of crowning meats with a disk of flavored butter. The butter melts on contact with the hot meat or seafood—anointing, basting, and moisturizing it. This compensates for the tendency of many foods to dry out when cooked on the grill.

Compound butters are easy to make, and a small portion certainly won’t kill you. The butter is creamed (beaten until light and fluffy—a stage the French call en pommade), then seasoned with intense flavorings. The resulting mixture is rolled in a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper to form a thick cylinder. Thus prepared, the compound butter can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. When you need it, simply cut off a slice and place it atop a piece of grilled meat or seafood.

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