Butter Abandon

TRANSCRIPT Ep 17 BUTTER ABANDON

Welcome to The Simmering Chef.

Cooking with a smidgen of anger, a pinch of crass, a dollop of irreverence, a sprinkling of science, and a handful of spice.

Hello! Happy day before Valentine’s Day, and a big welcome to all my subscribers! I’m sending you all virtual chocolates, hearts, and roses in honor of the Hallmark holiday.

Love is in the air today with a question about what to cook for someone you love, want to impress, or simply undress. Welcome to the slightly naughty version of The Simmering Chef.

Let’s get stuck in.

Dear The Simmering Chef,

Help! I think I made a mistake when I promised my girlfriend I would cook her a Valentine’s dinner. She’s a nurse, so dinner is planned for her next day off, which isn’t Valentine’s Day. Makes me a lucky guy twice. What can I make her that’s easy but should wow her socks (and maybe some other things) off.

Jack Of All Trades Except Cooking

Overland Park, Kansas

Dear Kansas Jack,

I like that you want to do something nice for your girlfriend. Although you might feel this is leaping in with both feet, my idea for you should help butter her up. (Dirty laugh.) You just need to remember to cook with total abandon. As Vogue’s Harriet Van Horne said way back in 1956, “Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”*

My idea for you is simple enough. You will grill a steak and top it off with a deliciously spicy compound browned butter. This butter is so decadent and so tasty you two might find other things to dollop it on besides the steak, such as your lady friend’s toast in the morning. *Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.

The most challenging part is browning the butter. Your goal here is to brown the butter solids and flavor the fat. Here’s how you do it.

Place the unsalted butter into a pan and heat over medium-low heat. The golden fat will separate from the milk solids. Lower the heat a bit and keep an eye on it. There will be some foaming. Once it subsides, the milk solids will begin to brown. Once they are golden brown, remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter into a heat-safe bowl to cool.

Once you have that, follow the recipe in the transcript to make your compound butter. Set the table with some pretty flowers, grill the steak, dollop some of the butter on top of it, make a simple green salad, pour two glasses of some red wine you like, such as a claret, dig in, and enjoy each other’s company.

Happy Valentine’s Day, and thank you so much for listening! As always, fail brilliantly and eat well.

The Simmering Chef

Today’s podcast is brought to you from the Atelier Rorschach Culinary Studios in beautiful College Park. Music is “Butter” by Ashley Mehta. Content is all my fault. Feel free to complain to the management.

*For those interested, you can locate the article in the Vogue Archive. 1956 October 15, Vogue, Not for Jiffy Cooks by Harriet Van Horne, Start Page 122, Quote Page 122, Column 1, Conde Nast Publications, New York.

SPICY COMPOUND BROWNED BUTTER

This butter works great as a topper for any grilled meat, as a spread on toast and crackers, and tossed with steamed vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

• 16 ounces of butter, 8 ounces will be used to make the browned butter. See the directions above. The other 8 ounces should be at room temperature.

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

• 2 teaspoons++ extra spicy chili crisp

• 1 shallot, peeled and minced, or substitute 2 green onions, using both the white and green parts

• 1 lime, juiced and zested

• ¾ teaspoon sea salt

• 1 Tablespoon brandy

• 1 Serraño or Jalapeño chili, seeds removed and minced

• 2 ounces fresh parsley leaves, minced

METHOD

1. In a bowl, combine the cooled browned butter and room-temperature butter with the remaining ingredients.

2. Using a rubber spatula, stir to combine the ingredients to ensure everything is incorporated.

3. Spread a taste of the butter onto a cracker to assess the flavor.

4. Adjust the seasoning as needed.

5. Transfer to a clean container and cover.

6. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

7. Pull from the refrigerator 30 minutes before use to help it warm up. It will be easier to use.