(November 1, 2005) A signature sauce, especially one that can be whipped up in a moment's notice, can make any home cook look like a professional chef. Turn to a California dairy staple found in every refrigerator for an easy and elegant topping to fish, chicken, vegetables, or pasta - a browned butter sauce!
Browning butter takes only minutes, and minimal seasoning is required for the perfect sauce. The delicious natural flavor of butter is enhanced with the process. Just heat butter in a skillet and augment the sauce with fresh herbs and spices.
Browned butter has made a trendy comeback on restaurant menus and, in turn, home kitchens. French in origin, "beurre noisette" refers to the hazelnut color butter turns when browned on the stovetop.
The flavor may be French, but Californians have adopted the sauce on menus across the state. Perhaps it's because California is the largest butter producer in the U.S. Producing more than 383 million pounds of butter in 2004, California's rich bounty of high-quality dairy products combined with the cornucopia of unique vegetables available in the fall allow for numerous combinations.
Tips from the California Milk Advisory Board for browning butter:
Try this Basic Brown Butter Sauce that incorporates some of California's favorite ingredients, butter, garlic, thyme or sage, and balsamic vinegar. Serve over fish, chicken, roasted vegetables like fingerling potatoes, squash, and zucchini, or toss with hot cooked pasta.
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The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) is an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture funded by the state's more than 2,000 dairy families. Established in 1969, the CMAB is headquartered in Modesto, California, and is one of the largest commodity boards in the United States. Under the dairy umbrella, the CMAB executes generic advertising, publicity, retail and foodservice promotions and research programs on behalf of California dairy products, including Real California Cheese.
California is one of the country's leading cheese producers. Since 2001, California's cow's milk cheesemakers have won more awards in total than any other state at the prestigious American Cheese Society annual judging. For more information on California cheeses, visit www.RealCaliforniaCheese.com.
