Butter

The one thing that makes everything better, or so they say. But the thing that has always bothered me about that expression is that it never makes any reference to what constitutes "butter." So, as I'm discovering more and more that it's really the simple things that matter, here is my completely biased treatise on butter:

I find it ironic that "common knowledge" about butter has come rather full circle - it was good, then it was evil (as compared to things like margarine)and now it's good again. Well, not really GOOD good, but better than any possible chemically-devised, -enhanced, or -otherwise-affected substitute because it comes from a cow and, when you really get down to it, all you need to make it is said bovine and a little bit of elbow-grease (or a Cuisinart...) Without further ado, here's how to make butter, courtesy of a friend of a friend in whose debt I will forever be for passing along this knowledge.

BUTTER

1 Pt Heavy Whipping Cream
Flavour - to be discussed below...

1. Assemble Cuisinart with standard chopping blade - the one shaped like two scimitars.
2. Pour in cream.
3. Press "ON"
4. Watch cream turn into butter.
You'll know it's done when it turns into one big solid lump. Intermediate stages are whipped cream, stiff whipped cream, slight curdling, bigger blobs, drier but smaller blobs, and fianlly the giant lump.

Seriously, that's it. And there's really nothing that tastes quite like it. It's so very fresh it's almost indecent and it has the texture of silk - light and smooth - and the taste of sunshine. I know I'll be accused of hyperbole, but try it and you just might have to agree.

Now to launch into the most controversial part of this little monograph: to salt or not to salt. The arguments run deep and bitter over which is better and in what context. Some swear by salted, some revile it, and vice versa. But here's the thing, the only thing that really matters is what you prefer. It's the same with any flavouring you might want to add - garlic, orange, thyme, strawberry, the possibilities are endless. The challenge is getting that balance of the fresh butter with the additions so it all floats on the tongue rhather than plummeting like an anchor into the stomach. I hear that honey is tricky, so if you get it right, please tell us how.

If you're wondering about butter in the exact science that is baking, my advice (as always, I suppose) is to experiment. For example, perhaps a chocolate chip cookie recipe calls for salted butter. If you use unsalted butter and, instead, put a few grains of coarse salt on top of each cookie when you put the dough in the oven, you may be pleasantly surprised at the result.