Soy Lemon Butter
This week's exciting flavor discovery!
Last week when I was in Paris for Fashion Week, I stopped by a lunch at l’Hotel du Crillon. There, I was served a MIND BOGGLING butter. I honestly have not been able to stop thinking about it.
Now I don’t say this lightly… I’ve tasted great butter, I even consume great butter on the daily. My current doctor’s orders are to have 3-7 slices of bread and butter every morning so let’s just say, I am passionate about my butter. I’m not usually a huge fan of compound butters as I find a simple salted butter is always king; however, this butter may have changed my mind…
The Hotel
First and foremost, let’s talk about the hotel. L’Hôtel du Crillon is one of Paris’ loveliest hotels. While I've never stayed there, I’ve had the pleasure of having some meals, meetings and apéros there. I always relish in spending time on their terrace, a little oasis in the center of Paris. The hotel exudes pure Parisian luxury without feeling stuffy, each room is bright and always filled with exciting yet classic floral displays. The Rosewood hotel had a 4 year renovation and my goodness, it did the hotel’s food and drink menu justice while it was at it.
The Butter
I sat down at the tail end of the lunch and wasn’t expecting to eat anything. That was, until a warm basket of freshly sliced tangy sourdough arrived alongside… their “special” butter. I obviously had to take a nibble… and then another, and another. Let’s just say the butter lasted a solid 5 minutes on the table between the 4 of us. The waiter kindly let us know that this was their butter made from crème d’Isigny (Isigny-sur-Mer is a commune in Normandy known for its dairy), soy sauce, and lemon.
After leaving, I knew this butter would be my favorite condiment of the week and that I would have to recreate it at home.
Soy + Butter
These two are a match made in heaven. The creaminess of the butter in contrast to the salty, umami-ness (?) of the soy sauce is something else. When combining these two, you don’t need a fancy butter or soy sauce. Dare I say, your butter can and should even be unsalted because the soy sauce will take control of the salinity.
My favorite way to eat mushrooms is to pan fry them lightly in some butter and soy. Salty, umami, sticky and sweet! Toss a drizzle of honey in there and oof have you got yourself a dish. I won’t dive into the use of this combo in tarte tatin because I’ll never get to the point.