Little bit of butter helps the veggies go down
By Marcia Poole | Posted: Wednesday, December 10, 2008
After decades of bad press, butter's finally getting a break.
The story? Butter isn't bad if you enjoy it in moderation. In fact, butter can encourage us to eat nutrient-rich foods we may otherwise pass up, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).
The challenge for most of us is the "moderation" part.
Butter is so appealing, so delicious, how can we enjoy it but keep consumption in check? The answer: "compound butter" recipes that make a little fat go a long way.
As the AICR tells it, a dab of rich, creamy butter infused with herbs, spices or ground nuts stretches a reasonable one-teaspoon serving into a luscious enhancement. It transforms a plate of plain vegetables into a special side dish.
The AICR shows consumers the way with three easy recipes for flavored butters. Each begins with a base of softened butter that combines with intensely flavored additions. Whirled in a food processor, the softened flavored butter is rolled into a log and then re-chilled until firm.
One recipe calls for blending softened butter with fresh thyme leaves, grated lemon zest and finely minced garlic. This flavor combination plays well with broccoli, carrots and Brussels sprouts. Chopped fresh cilantro, lime juice and zest, and red pepper flakes blend with butter to rev up corn, sweet potatoes and carrots.
Chopped fresh dill, parsley, shallots and lemon juice are just right in a butter blend for green beans, spinach, lima beans, corn and beets. All three recipes follow.
Butter tastings
More news showed up with a press kit from the Irish Dairy Board promoting serious butter tasting. The package supplies score sheets with one-to-five point ratings for aroma; appearance; taste; texture and mouth feel; and a space for comments.
Most of us probably haven't given much thought to butter quality. We've spent the last two or three decades trying to avoid butter, opting instead for more healthful fats. Yet, if we're old enough, we remember butter as basic to childhood and adolescence when oddly enough most people seemed slimmer and less prone to snacking.
"First there was wine, then cheese, then chocolate. Now butter is ripe for serious tasting," say the butter promoters who point out that in tough economic times butter is still an affordable indulgence.
U.S. butter consumption is more than four pounds per person per year. Compare that to 1937 when the average American ate almost 17 pounds of butter a year.
Look into the local story and you'll find that in 1913, Sioux City creameries produced almost 11 million pounds of butter. By 1928, five local creameries were churning out more than 31 million pounds of butter. Some meatpackers were into the butter business.
Butter moved from a time-consuming farm chore to a mass-produced packaged product beginning in the late 19th century, thanks to mechanized cream separators. Technology reduced butter-making from days to hours. Legislation opened the way for dairy cooperatives to compete with packers and other large companies.
Several factors figured into butter's decline, but margarine's emergence after World War II was the big one. Margarine is cheaper than butter. Eventually, vegetable spreads also was promoted as healthier than butter.
Here are ideas if you're interested in bringing back butter in moderation. The first recipe dresses up waffles, pancakes, toast and sauteed or baked apples and roasted peaches. It works for crumbles, crisps and coffee cakes.
Toasted Pecan and Maple Syrup Butter
One-quarter cup plus 2 tablespoons pecans
4 ounces (one-quarter pound) Kerrygold unsalted butter, near room temperature
One-eighth teaspoon ground cinnamon
One-eighth teaspoon ground nutmeg
One-eighth teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Pinch kosher salt (omit if using salted butter)
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about seven minutes. Transfer to a dish to cool. Pulse the pecans in a food processor to coarse meal consistency. Mix with the butter and remaining ingredients.
Put a 10-inch sheet of aluminum foil on a work surface. Spoon the butter onto the center near the bottom edge and form into a log five to six inches long. Roll butter in the foil and twist ends to make a sealed log. Refrigerate up to one week or freeze up to three months. Best if made one day before using. Makes four to six servings. Source: Kerrygold
Three Flavored Butters
Base for flavored butter
2 tablespoons unsalted sweet butter, diced, at room temperature
One-half teaspoon kosher salt
In mini food processor, whirl butter and salt until butter is creamy. Add remaining ingredients, as listed below, for flavored butter of your choice, and whirl until well combined.
Dollop soft butter on piece of waxed paper, forming into a rough four-inch-by-one-inch log. Roll to seal in the paper, and chill until firm. These butters make one-quarter to one-third cup or six servings; 35 calories and four grams total fat per serving. They keep for up to four days in the refrigerator. Source: American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)
Thyme and Garlic Butter
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
One-half teaspoon finely minced garlic
Cilantro, Lime and Chile Butter
1 tablespoon packed cilantro leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
One-half teaspoon lime zest
One-quarter teaspoon red pepper flakes
Dill, Parsley and Shallot Butter
1 tablespoon firmly packed fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
The story? Butter isn't bad if you enjoy it in moderation. In fact, butter can encourage us to eat nutrient-rich foods we may otherwise pass up, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).
The challenge for most of us is the "moderation" part.
Butter is so appealing, so delicious, how can we enjoy it but keep consumption in check? The answer: "compound butter" recipes that make a little fat go a long way.
As the AICR tells it, a dab of rich, creamy butter infused with herbs, spices or ground nuts stretches a reasonable one-teaspoon serving into a luscious enhancement. It transforms a plate of plain vegetables into a special side dish.
The AICR shows consumers the way with three easy recipes for flavored butters. Each begins with a base of softened butter that combines with intensely flavored additions. Whirled in a food processor, the softened flavored butter is rolled into a log and then re-chilled until firm.
One recipe calls for blending softened butter with fresh thyme leaves, grated lemon zest and finely minced garlic. This flavor combination plays well with broccoli, carrots and Brussels sprouts. Chopped fresh cilantro, lime juice and zest, and red pepper flakes blend with butter to rev up corn, sweet potatoes and carrots.
Chopped fresh dill, parsley, shallots and lemon juice are just right in a butter blend for green beans, spinach, lima beans, corn and beets. All three recipes follow.
Butter tastings
More news showed up with a press kit from the Irish Dairy Board promoting serious butter tasting. The package supplies score sheets with one-to-five point ratings for aroma; appearance; taste; texture and mouth feel; and a space for comments.
Most of us probably haven't given much thought to butter quality. We've spent the last two or three decades trying to avoid butter, opting instead for more healthful fats. Yet, if we're old enough, we remember butter as basic to childhood and adolescence when oddly enough most people seemed slimmer and less prone to snacking.
"First there was wine, then cheese, then chocolate. Now butter is ripe for serious tasting," say the butter promoters who point out that in tough economic times butter is still an affordable indulgence.
U.S. butter consumption is more than four pounds per person per year. Compare that to 1937 when the average American ate almost 17 pounds of butter a year.
Look into the local story and you'll find that in 1913, Sioux City creameries produced almost 11 million pounds of butter. By 1928, five local creameries were churning out more than 31 million pounds of butter. Some meatpackers were into the butter business.
Butter moved from a time-consuming farm chore to a mass-produced packaged product beginning in the late 19th century, thanks to mechanized cream separators. Technology reduced butter-making from days to hours. Legislation opened the way for dairy cooperatives to compete with packers and other large companies.
Several factors figured into butter's decline, but margarine's emergence after World War II was the big one. Margarine is cheaper than butter. Eventually, vegetable spreads also was promoted as healthier than butter.
Here are ideas if you're interested in bringing back butter in moderation. The first recipe dresses up waffles, pancakes, toast and sauteed or baked apples and roasted peaches. It works for crumbles, crisps and coffee cakes.
Toasted Pecan and Maple Syrup Butter
One-quarter cup plus 2 tablespoons pecans
4 ounces (one-quarter pound) Kerrygold unsalted butter, near room temperature
One-eighth teaspoon ground cinnamon
One-eighth teaspoon ground nutmeg
One-eighth teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Pinch kosher salt (omit if using salted butter)
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about seven minutes. Transfer to a dish to cool. Pulse the pecans in a food processor to coarse meal consistency. Mix with the butter and remaining ingredients.
Put a 10-inch sheet of aluminum foil on a work surface. Spoon the butter onto the center near the bottom edge and form into a log five to six inches long. Roll butter in the foil and twist ends to make a sealed log. Refrigerate up to one week or freeze up to three months. Best if made one day before using. Makes four to six servings. Source: Kerrygold
Three Flavored Butters
Base for flavored butter
2 tablespoons unsalted sweet butter, diced, at room temperature
One-half teaspoon kosher salt
In mini food processor, whirl butter and salt until butter is creamy. Add remaining ingredients, as listed below, for flavored butter of your choice, and whirl until well combined.
Dollop soft butter on piece of waxed paper, forming into a rough four-inch-by-one-inch log. Roll to seal in the paper, and chill until firm. These butters make one-quarter to one-third cup or six servings; 35 calories and four grams total fat per serving. They keep for up to four days in the refrigerator. Source: American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)
Thyme and Garlic Butter
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
One-half teaspoon finely minced garlic
Cilantro, Lime and Chile Butter
1 tablespoon packed cilantro leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
One-half teaspoon lime zest
One-quarter teaspoon red pepper flakes
Dill, Parsley and Shallot Butter
1 tablespoon firmly packed fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
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