Better butter

In Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Kitchen Confidential’, there’s a section titled something like“Why my food tastes better than yours.” If you’ve made it that far through the book you are, at this point, very used to this sexy egotist’s abuse. But just this once he can back up his claim: his food, he reveals, tastes better than yours because of compound butter.

Compound butter (Beurres Composés) is just an impressive name for the flavored butter that makes French food so damn tasty. Unfortunately for Anthony, this stuff is unbelievably easy to make. I foresee that it is just a matter of time before the masses rise up and become indoctrinated into its greasy secrets. Maybe they’ll also learn how to vote.

Here’s how to wipe the sneer off the faces of French food snobs everywhere. You can use pretty much any mix of ingredients for this, but I’m going for traditional:

• Soften three sticks of high quality unsalted (a must. no salt. dont even think about it) butter to room temperature

• Mash four cloves of garlic, a handful of finely chopped parsley, a quarter cup finely chopped chives, salt (kosher or sea salt), pepper black, and a squirt of lemon. If you can find it, add some rosemary (chopped) too. Do not use dried leaves for this. If you do, you’ll be sorry.

• Squish the whole thing together. Use your fingers; it’s what they’re there for.

• Roll into a log and wrap in wax paper- you can store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.

• Whenever you need a chunk just hack it off. Use it any time you’d use butter for a savory dish: when frying eggs, stir-frys, stuffed under the skin of roasting chickens, on potatoes, in soup, on your significant other.