The interesting phenomena about food bloggers is we have contrasting takes on different trends. Last month, I was all excited to post a blog on butter boards. This trend recently took off and put food enthusiasts in a trance. Who doesn’t get excited about a board smeared with butter?
Apparently, I was not alone in my enthusiasm because The Chopping Block’s Executive Chef Lisa Counts wrote a phenomenal blog from a professional chef’s view on butter boards this month. In the journalism world, that would be considered a "scoop" which is kind of ironic given it was a blog about scooping butter off a board.
We both had seen all the bewitching images of big platters of butter and wanted to make our own versions. Within days of the first articles popping up online, we both had spent time artistically creating our butter board dreams with various arrays of herbs, spices, salt and whatever else our imagination and pantries provided.
SPOILER ALERT: Chef Lisa's summary was thorough, but her conclusion was shocking. She was NOT a fan! After a very loud gasp of disbelief flew from my mouth, I realized that this was my chance to debate some of the opposing views on butter boards.
Like Chef Lisa, I love a good cheese or charcuterie board but usually either one of those party favorites involves a trip to the market.
The bonus perk of butter boards is who doesn’t have butter in a refrigerator at all times? (If you don’t, I’m not sure we can be friends.) The toppings on a butter board can be composed of anything in your pantry.
Speaking of not knowing where things have been, there is a strong debate on the “ewwww” factor of multiple people swiping a chunk of bread through a shared board of butter.
I would not bring a butter board to a serve at a potluck or a cocktail hour. It is communal but know your audience. You can always put a little knife on the plate like I did for this little treat I served to some folks in my neighborhood. (Because I’m the kind of person who sees people working hard and brings them food rather than offering to help.)
With nightly news mentioning supply chain delays and price increases, it shouldn’t surprise any of us that dairy is on that list. Don’t let that steer you away from making a butter board. This is not the trend that should break the butter bank.
While I agree with Chef Lisa on using a good quality butter, I also think an economical store brand is not a bad option when serving this much butter on a board. (I’ll qualify this by saying use a familiar store brand that you’ve tried before. Do not buy some random bargain butter!)
And in that rare case you can’t find butter on your store shelves, you could use the Kitchen Aid recipe for making butter from cream. It isn’t necessarily less expensive but it is a cool party trick to pull out.
Just because social media started this trend on gigantic ornate boards, it doesn’t mean we can’t buck the trend!
I was at a TJ Maxx the other day and saw a shelf of coasters that screamed “make me into a baby butter board.” To ease up on clean up, cut parchment to cover the wood. It is also a nice way to utilize common items that might not necessarily designed for food.
Little boards have less waste in the end. I have been putting about 2 tablespoons of butter on my small boards. It is just enough for a giant chunk of French bread or a big hearty dinner roll.
As you can see, butter boards are really what you want to make of them. Simple points to remember for success:
If you haven’t read it already, remember to read Chef Lisa’s Butter Board blog then join The Chopping Block’s private Facebook group to share your own butter board adventures with both of us!