A Café De Paris Butter Recipe For A Better Steak
If you don't have a Café de Paris butter recipe, your steak is missing out. This is a book about cheese like you've never consumed it before. Travel around the world for stories from some of the best cheesemakers in the game today, and try their time-tested (or brand-spankin'-new) recipes at home. Author Nick Haddow, founder of Tasmania's Bruny Island Cheese Company, knows the industry and its treats like no one else.
This is a classic recipe that makes steak sing. If you are not a meat eater, don't despair — it also does wonders for steamed spuds or asparagus. There are 1,001 versions of this, but I have it on good authority that this is the original recipe created by chef Dumont at the Café de Paris in Geneva in 1941. You can fiddle with it if you like to make your own version.
- 1 pound, 5 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 ounce ketchup
- 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 ounce capers
- 2 ounces shallots
- 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon chives
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dill
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon tarragon leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary leaves
- 1 clove garlic
- 8 anchovy fillets
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 1 tablespoon madeira
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne powder
- juice of one lemon
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- zest of 1/4 Orange
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- In a large bowl, beat the butter by hand or use an electric mixer set to slow speed, until it has a slightly creamy texture.
- In a separate bowl, combine all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add this mixture to the butter and beat again until all the ingredients are completely combined.
- Place a double thickness of foil, about 12 inches long, on a flat surface and line with a similar-sized piece of silicone paper. Spread half the butter along one of the foil edges and roll up to form a long sausage shape — roll it with your hands like a rolling pin to get a tidy shape and eliminate any air pockets. Twist the ends to seal. Repeat this process with the remaining butter. Place in the fridge to chill before use.
- To use, slice a ½ inch thick disc of butter and place on top of a grilled steak (or a steamed spud). Traditionally, the steak is placed back under a hot grill (broiler) to soften and brown the butter, but I don’t reckon you need to do this, just let it melt from the heat of the steak.
- The butter can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few weeks or in the freezer for several months.