Montpellier Butter

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart saucepan
• •Clean unscented kitchen towel
• •Mini food processor or large mortar and pestle
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Flexible spatula or wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the yolks

   If the cooked yolk isn't ready, place the whole egg in a saucepan, cover it with cold water, and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, cool under cold water, peel, and reserve the firm yolk. Beat a preferably pasteurized raw yolk in a small cup and measure 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g); this slightly awkward measure is what preserves the book's proportions in a home-sized batch.

2. 2

   Blanch the greens

   Bring the 2 quarts (1.9 L / 1.9 kg) water to a strong boil in a roomy saucepan. Add the five herbs, chopped shallot, and spinach together, pressing them beneath the water. Boil for exactly 2 minutes, counting from the moment they enter the pan. The blanch softens the fibers, tempers the raw shallot, and sets the butter's clear herb-green character.

3. 3

   Cool and press dry

   Drain the blanched mixture immediately and cool it briefly under cold running water. Gather it in a clean, unscented kitchen towel and twist firmly until no more water falls from the bundle. Open the towel, loosen the greens, then squeeze once more. This is the step that decides the butter: trapped water makes the finished emulsion loose, pale, and weeping.

   If the bundle still feels spongy or leaves a wet patch when pressed against the counter, it isn't dry enough. Wrap it in a fresh section of towel and squeeze again.
4. 4

   Pound the herb paste

   Put the pressed greens, capers, gherkins, garlic, and anchovy into a mini food processor. Pulse, scrape the sides, and continue until the mixture becomes a very fine, even paste with no obvious strands of herb. A large mortar gives the same result by hand. Don't add oil to help the blades along; the oil belongs later, and the order is part of the emulsion.

5. 5

   Work in butter

   Add the softened butter in four additions, processing or pounding each one fully into the herb paste before adding the next. The butter should take a thumbprint but never look melted. Push the hard-boiled yolk through a small sieve into the mixture, work it in completely, then add the measured raw yolk and mix until smooth.

   For the book's coating version, stop before adding either yolk and omit the oil entirely. Work the herb paste into butter alone so it firms into a clean coat over a thoroughly chilled, dry whole fish.
6. 6

   Emulsify with oil

   With the processor running at low speed, add the oil first by droplets, then in a slender thread, waiting until each addition disappears before giving the butter more. The mixture should become supple and satin-smooth while still holding its shape. If it slumps and looks greasy, it is too warm; chill it for 5 minutes, then beat again. If oil beads against a stiff, grainy butter, warm the outside of the bowl over barely warm water for 10 seconds and continue beating. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Sieve and season

   While the butter remains soft, press it through a fine-mesh sieve into a cool bowl, scraping firmly with a flexible spatula. The sieve is the home equivalent of a tammy, and it removes stubborn herb fibers and any remaining anchovy fragments. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until glossy and uniform, then season with the salt and cayenne. Taste before adding more salt because the anchovy, capers, and gherkins already bring plenty.

8. 8

   Set and serve

   Cover the surface closely and chill for about 30 minutes, just until the Beurre de Montpellier holds rounded spoonfuls without becoming hard. Serve it generously beside cold poached salmon, trout, or smaller slices of cold fish. If refrigerated longer, let it soften for 15 to 20 minutes before serving and stir once to restore its smooth texture. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Weigh the five herbs in equal quantities rather than trusting their wildly different volumes. Chervil fills a cup with almost no weight, while chives settle densely; the scale keeps the book's balance intact.
• •Butter, not margarine or a spreadable blend. Those substitutes carry extra water and can't hold this emulsion cleanly. The butter should be pliable at about 18°C (65°F), never oily around the edges.
• •When coating a whole cold fish, omit the hard-boiled yolk, raw yolk, and oil. Use the same herb paste with the full measure of butter, chill it only until spreadable, then coat fish that is both thoroughly cold and completely dry.
• •A pasteurized raw yolk is the sensible choice when serving pregnant guests, older adults, young children, or anyone with reduced immunity. It emulsifies exactly as an ordinary raw yolk does.
• •Serve the butter with cold poached salmon or trout and a chilled Picpoul de Pinet. Its brisk acidity and saline edge suit the capers and anchovy without flattening the herbs.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the Beurre de Montpellier up to 24 hours ahead. Press parchment or reusable wrap directly against its surface, refrigerate, then soften it for 15 to 20 minutes and stir before serving.
• •Because the finished butter contains raw yolk, keep it continuously refrigerated and use it within 2 days. Return leftovers to the refrigerator promptly after serving.
• •The egg can be hard-boiled a day ahead. Keep it chilled in its shell, then peel and remove the yolk when you begin the butter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 43g)