If you’re looking for a fun food to add to your entertaining repertoire, I suggest butter boards.
All you have to do is bring butter to room temperature, smooth it out on a flat surface and sprinkle either sweet or savory treats on top. A quick chill in the refrigerator to solidify the butter slightly makes it easier to handle. Next, present this satiny spread to your family or friends.
Butter boards tend to be enjoyed as hors d’oeuvres, though I prefer them at brunches with bagels, challah or toast, with dinner rolls and baguettes, or as a sweet afternoon indulgence while drinking coffee or tea.
Letting your imagination run wild is the key to creating superior butter boards.
Dessert butter boards can be topped with chocolate, sugar, nuts, orange zest and fruit. Savory butter boards are often dotted with fresh herbs, olives, paprika and scallions. But feel free to invent favorite toppings of your own.
I suggest selecting a board that is not made of a porous material, such as wood. Wood planks may have bacteria trapped in their cracks which can mix with the butter. Marble, slate or ceramic serving pieces look attractive and are easier to clean after the butter is consumed.
Butter boards are easy to throw together. You probably have the ingredients on hand. Surprising and colorful, they offer a presentation that’s a wow.
Savory Herbed Butter Board (Dairy)
Serves 4-6
- ¼ pound sweet (unsalted butter)
- 1 teaspoon basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dill, chopped
- 6 scallions, sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
- kosher salt to taste
- Accompaniments: fine white bread, pumpernickel, plain crackers or a sliced baguette
Bring the butter to room temperature. Spread it on a nonporous, preferably oblong plank.
Sprinkle the remaining ingredients evenly on top. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving.
Serve butter board with the bread accompaniments above.
Everything Bagel Butter Board (Dairy)
Serves 4-6
- ¼ pound sweet (unsalted) butter
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon minced dried onion
- 1 teaspoon minced dried onion
- sprinkling of paprika
- Accompaniments: plain or whole wheat bagels, rye bread or sourdough bread
Bring the butter to room temperature. Spread it on a nonporous, preferably oblong plank.
Sprinkle the remaining ingredients evenly on top. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving.
Serve butter board with the bread accompaniments above.
Chocolate Butter Board (Dairy)
Serves 4-6
- ¼ pound sweet (unsalted butter)
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- ¼ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
- ¼ cup raspberries or diced strawberries
- Accompaniments: fine white bread, challah or brioche
Bring the butter to room temperature. Spread it on a nonporous, preferably oblong plank.
Sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving.
Serve butter board with the bread accompaniments above.
Linda Morel is a freelance food writer.
