Carry-on butter

Bordier butter ... butter so good it makes me cry. I went to fairly great lengths to bring some back from France. I had to freeze it before I got on the plane so that there was some hope of it surviving the trip back to L.A. But it worked. (Yes, I was a little worried about freezing it but figured it would be OK -- better than not having any at all, so I didn't have much choice. And I do keep butter in the freezer at home so that I always have some on hand for baking.)

Breton Jean-Yves Bordier makes beurre de baratte; at a certain temperature it's worked (sort of beaten) with two small wooden paddles to its optimum texture. For different restaurants, he makes different shapes. The ones pictured here are from Hélène Darroze in Paris. I love the salted (demi-sel) butter, on the left; on the right is the unsalted, sweet (doux) butter. I brought back slabs of it that I bought at the Grande Epicerie at the Bon Marché -- the demi-sel, doux, smoked sea salt and seaweed. The seaweed butter is so beautiful, with flecks of seaweed throughout (great on slices of toasted brioche or tossed with spaghetti).

I spread pats of the demi-sel butter on pain de mie from Breadbar every morning -- or if I'm especially lucky, sourdough bread freshly baked by my colleague Amy Scattergood. I'll even eat a little bit plain and just let it melt on my tongue -- worth the effort and the space in one's carry-on.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo by Betty Hallock