Western Star Butter Hints & Tips

Cooking

When cooking rice by the absorption method, add a knob of butter to the water before cooking for a delicious buttery flavour and separated grains. Especially great served with curries.
Stir a squeeze of honey and dab of butter into steamed carrots, the kids are guaranteed to eat these veggies!
Tightly wrap a fish fillet in a sheet of foil with a generous knob of butter, sprig of thyme and a few slices of garlic. Bake for 15 minutes until cooked through and voila, instant meal!
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. – No tomato sauce required!
When panfrying, use half butter and half oil. Butter adds flavour, while oil prevents the butter from burning.
Adding a knob of butter to cooking water when gently blanching vegetables such as asparagus, gives them shine and a delicious flavour!
Smashed mint buttered peas are the best accompaniment to grilled lamb. Saute a knob of butter with a clove of garlic, loads of frozen peas and grated zucchini, add enough water or stock to come halfway up the vegetables and cook until tender. Stir through chopped fresh mint, a little more butter and mash.
When sautéing garlic and onion, always add a drizzle of oil to the pan before adding butter and add the onion before the garlic, to prevent burning.
To make “burnt butter sauce” or “beurre noisette” Melt butter in a pan over medium low heat swirling constantly, until foamy. Add sage leaves if desired. Using a spoon keep checking the colour of milk solids on the bottom of the pan, when these turn light golden, and the butter smells nutty, the sauce is ready.
For the most delicious green beans you’ll ever eat, melt a knob of butter in a frypan until foamy, toss in steamed green beans and slivered almonds until almonds are just golden.
Toss a knob of butter through pasta or couscous before serving for a glossy sheen and delicious buttery flavour!
Make a flavoured butter to keep on hand in the fridge for using on steaks, grilled chicken or fish, in garlic bread or on hot toast! Simply combine room temperature butter with garlic, mustard, chilli or your favourite herbs, wrap in clingfilm and roll into a log shape.
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.
For a novel little starter to a dinner party, make a butter bath! Melt Western Star Chef’s Choice Butter in a clean oil burner with a sprig of thyme. Arrange raw baby vegetables such as radishes, Dutch carrots, cherry tomatoes or even cooked prawns on a large board and allow guests to dip in the butter bath, sprinkle with a little sumac flavoured salt and enjoy!
A great side dish for kids is traffic light vegetables! Cut zucchini, carrot and red capsicum into thin sticks or rounds (snowpeas are great too), then sauté in butter and garlic until tender and fragrant.
Combine room temperature butter with olive tapenade and cracked black pepper, spread over chicken fillets and bake till golden.
Pinenut and herb crusted fish — sound gourmet? It’s so easy. Combine melted Western Star Butter with a handful of breadcrumbs, raw pinenuts 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.
For the most succulent roast chicken, stuff 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!
When reheating hollandaise or béarnaise sauce, remember that it is a very fragile emulsion, never reheat in the microwave or it will split. The best way of doing this is to gently whisk over a double boiler on low heat. If the emulsion begins to spilt, try whisking in a spoonful of warm water, never add more butter.
Mix horseradish with grainy mustard, parsley and softened butter, for spreading over cooked steaks or dolloping over flat mushrooms before grilling.
For perfectly round, even pancakes, its handy to use 1/4 or 1/3 cup measure to pour your batter into the pan, if you need to make the pancake bigger, pour the batter directly into the centre of the pancake (not around the edges) to ensure it keeps its perfect shape!
For delicious slow roast tomatoes, simple 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!
For a delicious retro winter dessert, core granny smith apples and stuff the cavity with mixture of softened butter, brown sugar and sultanas. Score the apples around the middle, place in a baking dish with a little water and a splash of brandy, cover and bake for 45 minutes or until soft. Serve warm with custard.
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!
When making a roux, 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.
What should I do if I’ve made a white sauce and it’s not thick enough?
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.