Friday, October 10, 2008

Pancakes, Pasta, and Potatoes - Perfect Palate Pleasers

Do you want to cook a full day’s meals without a lot of effort and add a little zip to the flavor? With just a few minutes and a little extra effort, this simple little cooking tip will allow you to add some variety to your storage food meals. The best thing is you can avoid the hot sauce and the heartburn!


Brown Butter – The Simple Solution to Tastier Meals

Brown butter is an ideal flavor enhancer and condiment that can be used on a variety of vegetable, pasta, fruits and pastries to add a little extra to the taste. Brown butter takes only takes a few minutes to make but will add a special flavor to otherwise fairly common meals.

How to Make Brown Butter

1. Use 1 stick of unsalted butter for immediate use or 2 sticks to have extra to place in the refrigerator (it will lasts several weeks in an airtight container) for future use. It can also be frozen and thawed for later use.

2. Cut the stick of butter into about 8 to 10 pieces (smaller pieces melt easier due to more exposed surface area) and place in a medium size saucepan at medium heat.

3. Stir the butter constantly (this will prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan) and as the butter cooks, it will start to foam and rise. When the butter stops foaming and rising, continue to cook until amber in color (1 or 2 minutes). It will have a caramel color and a slightly nutty aroma.

4. Turn off the heat, remove the saucepan from the burner and allow any sediment settle to the bottom.

5. Pour the brown butter through a strainer or coffee filter into a small bowl. Be careful not to disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan. The brown butter is now ready for use.

A Simple Menu Plan for the Day

Breakfast – Mix a dash of cinnamon in some of your brown butter and drizzle on your pancakes. Add a little sugar and you could even skip the syrup!

Lunch – Add some chopped parsley to your brown butter, a dash of garlic powder or oregano, and drizzle over a bowl of pasta (noodles, spaghetti, etc.).

Dinner – Add a little sea salt, a dash of pepper, and some chopped shallots to your brown butter and pour it over a nice, hot, baked potato.

Taste really does matter!

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've always know your brown butter as clarified butter. It's great to cook with too as it has a higher 'burn' temp then regular butter. Here's a web site about it:http://www.ochef.com/540.htm

riverwalker said...

To: anonymous

Thanks for the info & the link!

RW

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