Hints, Tips & Articles | Western Star Butter
Hints, Tips & Articles | Western Star Butter
Hints, Tips & Articles | Western Star Butter
Hints, Tips & Articles | Western Star Butter
Hints, Tips & Articles | Western Star Butter
More than butter - hints, tips & articles
A new BBQ favourite
Stand out at your next barbecue by making a quick basting butter. Combine melted butter with flavours of choice; try chilli, garlic, lime and coriander. Brush over cooked meats or seafood as soon as they come off the barbecue for a mouth-watering flavour kick.
Add extra flavour to filo
When brushing filo pastry sheets with butter for savoury applications, try melting the butter in the microwave with a bruised clove of garlic, for a little extra flavour!
Avoid a "floury" white sauce
At the beginning of a white sauce always cook off the butter and flour over low heat for 1 minute to ensure the finished sauce doesn’t have a “floury” flavour. Remove from the heat before whisking in milk and returning back to the heat to thicken.
Best ever green beans!
Melt a knob of butter in a fry pan until foamy, toss in your steamed green beans and slivered almonds until almonds are just golden. Delicious!
Cooking pasta?
Toss a knob of butter through pasta or couscous before serving for a glossy sheen and delicious buttery flavour!
Cooking rice by absorption method?
Add a knob of butter to the water for a delicious buttery flavour and separated grains. Especially great served with curries?
Delicious crunch on toasties?
Use Western Star Spreadable on the outside of your bread for a golden delicious crunch!
Delicious slow roasted tomoatoes
Simply slice roma tomatoes in half, lay cut side up on a lined baking tray, season with salt and pepper, and top each tomato with a slice of garlic and a knob of butter. Bake at 140°-150°C for 1-2 hours or until done to your liking. Use in salads, antipasto or simply enjoy on fresh bread!
Dry roast chicken?
Avoid a dry chicken by stuffing some flavoured butter under the skin before roasting. Simply ease your fingers under the skin of the chicken breast to create a pocket (without breaking through) and fill it with softened flavoured butter. The butter bastes and flavours the chicken as it cooks leaving you with a moist and tender roast!
Forgot the garlic bread?
Combine Western Star spreadable with garlic, finely grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley and spread generously between slices of baguette. Wrap in foil and bake until golden and crunchy.
Forgotten to soften the butter?
Grate butter coarsely, spread onto baking paper and stand for 10 minutes before using. Alternatively chop into 2cm cubes, microwave on 30% power in 10 second bursts until just softened.
Fussy Eaters?
Stir a squeeze of honey and dab of butter into steamed carrots, the kids are guaranteed to eat these veggies.
Grilling mushrooms?
Trying mixing horseradish with grainy mustard, parsley and softened butter and dolloping over the flat mushrooms before grilling. Also great with steak.
Making a sauce?
Enrich wine based sauces by whisking in a large knob of cold butter at the very end, it will give your sauce a richness, shine and round off any acidic flavours.
Pine nut and herb crusted fish - in a hurry!
Combine melted Western Star Butter with a handful of breadcrumbs, raw pine nuts and fresh herbs of choice, press onto one side of a skinless white fish fillet. Bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes or until golden.
Reheating Hollandaise or Béarnaise sauce?
Never microwave! These are fragile emulsions and will split. Reheat by gently whisking over a double boiler on low heat. If the emulsion begins to split, try whisking in a spoonful of warm water, never add more butter.
Runny white sauce?
If your white sauce isn’t thick enough, you can whisk in a little cornflour and water paste or begin again by making another roux and whisking in the runny white sauce in place of the milk.
Saute with butter
Melt butter on a medium heat. The butter must be hot otherwise it will be absorbed and the food becomes soggy rather than crispy. The food should "sizzle" when added to the pan.
Should I grease my baking tins?
This helps stop food sticking. Brush the tin with melted butter or use some baking paper with a little butter on it to rub around the inside of the tin.
Traffic light vegetables
A great side dish for kids. Cut zucchini, carrot and red capsicum into thin sticks or rounds (snow peas are great too), then sauté in butter and garlic until tender and fragrant.
Which butter should I use to make sweet pastries?
We recommend Chef's Choice - it's higher fat content and creamier finish makes it ideal for sweet pastries.