There’s a distinct possibility you may have seen the new butter board trend that’s gracing Insta posts, stories and reels, as well as loads of TikTok feeds… which seeing as we might just be huge fans of butter is a good thing…
A New York based food influencer and cook, Justine Doiron, was the first to highlight to a wide audience. She simply asked her followers ‘‘Have you heard of a butter board?’’ Oddly it seems nobody had, and since then her TikTok post has simply exploded and it’s become a thing with the phenomenon spreading (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun, we do make butter after all… which means we’re allowed…) to other social platforms with more and more people creating their own butter board masterpieces.
Making a butter board is pretty simple and it has to be said it’s nearly (well almost) totally impossible to get it wrong!
The secret? Softened, butter that’s been allowed to sit at room temperature to simply do its thing.
Simply unwrap a roll of Winter Tarn unsalted butter that’s been kept at room temperature for several hours, then whip it with a food mixer for 8-10 minutes until it becomes fluffy and changes colour (it goes white), then evenly and generously spread the butter onto a wooden chopping board or cheese board.
Then it’s time to season, season and , season at little more! Salt and lemon zest are always an easy go to and add a little zing, then from there on in you can pretty much go wild and add the toppings you fancy, and the variety is limitless… seeds, herbs, pulses, nuts, seeds, charcuterie, salad onions, capers, beetroot, pickles, gherkins, anchovies and even smoked fish such as salmon… of and don’t forget you can go sweet too with the addition of all manner of fruit…
Don’t forget this is also about displaying your toppings in a visually pleasing way – it’s pretty much the underpinning of the dish.
Once you are happy then it’s just a case of serving up and spread generously on freshly baked sourdough bread or tasty artisan crackers.
Unsurprisingly being huge fans of the churned stuff we think butter with the odd added extra ingredient is a thing of beauty and it’s one of the best ingredients any home cook (or chef worth their salt) should have conveniently stashed away in their freezer…
Butters with added extras are known in the trade as compound butters and happily they are easy to make, and you can pretty much create any flavour you want!
They are made by mixing softened butter with any number of different herbs or flavour combinations you fancy.
Take 100g of butter out of the fridge and allow it to soften at room temperature. Don’t forget it’s all about flavour, so use Winter Tarn unsalted butter. Add to a food mixer and whip until soft and creamy (about a minute) and then add any flavourings you fancy, sweet or savoury, the options are endless and then mix evenly through the whipped butter until evenly distributed.
Then it’s just a case of spooning the flavoured butter onto a piece of baking parchment or cling film, and then simply rolling the butter until it forms a sausage shape, then twist the ends to seal. The end result can then be stored in the fridge for up to three days or can be frozen and a slice can be removed as and when you need to add it to your chosen dish.