Better Butter

It’s all. About. The butter.

At least that’s what my friend Heidi declared to sum up her feelings about pancakes. Oatmeal, blueberry, sourdough—whatever. Good pancakes are about really good butter. She has a point.

In fact, I remember salting my pancakes to simulate butter back in my adolescence when I believed that it was evils like butter and mayonnaise that stood between me and a body like Kate Moss. I have since moved on from such silliness (or my silliness has become slightly more sophisticated) and am a great appreciator of butter.

On Friday, I was having a late supper at Spinasse and they brought us an amuse-bouche—a little toast with farm fresh butter, an anchovy, and fresh ground pepper. Oh my goodness, so simple and so heavenly. And this too was all about the butter. Sweet and creamy to calm the salty fishlette.

Of course, as is the nature of an amuse-bouche, it was gone before I knew what a complete treasure it was. So I bought some good butter and made them myself. And I tried the combo on radishes as well, with much success.

I dried thin slices of baguette in the oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. I also tried two kinds of anchovies and would recommend the milder of the two.