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beurre noisette

brown butter

Melting butter

Unsalted butter slowly melted just long enough to toast the milk solids, past the clarified butter stage to create a nutty, fragrant ingredient the colour of hazelnuts used in financiers, madeleines, viennoiserie and other pastries.

It also used as a sauce on fish and poultry dishes.

If you cook it longer so it goes darker and is almost burnt, it’s beurre noir, black butter, mixed with lemon juice/vinegar and parsley; often served with raie (skate).

Beurre de noisette, however, is butter made out of hazelnuts.

Cheese and dairy

Text © Dana Facaros

Image by Andrew Malone