Warmed brown butter is hot, said Donna Deane in the Los Angeles Times. Known in French as beurre noisette, brown butter has been around for ages. But lately, chefs from Spago in Beverly Hills to Mélisse in Santa Monica “have been drizzling it, whisking it, incorporating it with uncommon glee.” Easy-to-make, nutty-flavored brown butter goes especially well with autumn food, including Brussels sprouts and ravioli filled with pumpkin or butternut squash. “Fattening? Yes. But a little goes a long way.”
Recipes of the week
Roasted Kabocha Squash
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
With Brown Butter
1 Kabocha squash
1 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Fleur de sel
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash into quarters, scoop out seeds. Brush cut surfaces of squash with oil. Put squash cut-side down on foil-lined baking pan. Roast until squash is fork-tender, about 60 minutes. Toast pecans on large baking pan until lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
In small heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, whisking until butter turns nut brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix pecans with 1 tsp of browned butter and sea salt. Heat broiler. Turn squash quarters upright with skin side down. Drizzle each baked squash quarter with 1 tsp maple syrup. Put squash under broiler until edges are slightly charred and syrup has nice glaze, 3 to 4 minutes.
Drizzle 1 tbsp of brown butter over each squash quarter, then sprinkle nutmeg, toasted pecans, and a little fleur de sel on quarters and serve. Serves 4.
Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
Sea salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
White pepper
1/3 cup warm milk
1 tbsp snipped chives
Peel potatoes and cut into 1-1/2 to 2-inch pieces. Place in 4-quart saucepan, add water to cover by 2 inches. Add 1 tsp salt, bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high, cook until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
While potatoes are cooking, heat butter in heavy 9-inch skillet over medium
heat until melted. Once butter has melted, whisk until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
When potatoes are tender, drain well. Put potatoes through potato ricer or
mash them. Sprinkle with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Set aside 2 tbsp brown butter to drizzle over top. Add remaining brown butter to potatoes along with warm milk. Lightly stir just to combine, being careful not to overmix. Spoon potatoes into serving bowl. Drizzle over remaining 2 tbsp butter and sprinkle with chives. Serves 6.
