In mid-September of this year, food bloggers worldwide began spreading industrial amounts of butter on wooden boards, then adding chives, herbs, red onion, salt and even edible petals; they called it butter board. Everything seemed to indicate that the charcuterie boards’ reign had ended.
Although thousands of people have embraced the new culinary trend with relish and added strawberries, figs, honey, nuts, chocolate and other toppings to their butter boards, many critics are still sceptical, pointing out that spreading butter on the porous surface of a wooden board does not is the best idea, and neither is consuming so much cholesterol.
At kiwilimón, we investigated the origin of the butter boards, how they are prepared, and some tips to make their preparation much easier if you dare to adopt this trend.
What is a butter board?
The so-called butter board is one of the most popular recipes of 2022, as it has caused a stir on Instagram and TikTok. It spreads a good amount of butter on a board and then adds sweet or salty toppings. It is accompanied by bread.
Tips for making a butter board
Justine Doiron was one of the first food bloggers to make the famous, or infamous, butter board after finding inspiration in one of chef Josh McFadden’s dishes. On her website, she recommends the following before you get down to business and make a butter board:
1. Use butter at room temperature.
2. Make sure your board is big enough.
3. Add a touch of fleur de sel and lemon zest to the butter, as the flavours will stand out even more.
4. The sky is the limit! You can add spices, nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables, honey, and chilli oil, among many other options.
5. Remember that if you add fruit or chopped chives, you must cut them into small pieces.
6. Analyze if the ingredients you choose create a true harmony of flavours.
7. Accompany with good bread.
Additionally, considering the amount of fat that butter has, perhaps the ideal would be to use a marble or terrazzo board to prepare a butter board since they will help the butter not melt so quickly. Another good option is to place a piece of wax paper on the wooden board before you start the preparation.
On the other hand, we must also consider that excessive butter consumption is harmful, so it is best not to consume butter boards too often. On the other hand, to strengthen hygiene measures, place several knives around the board since it will be better to use utensils than to chop the bread directly into the butter.
butter board recipe
If you want to prepare a butter board to take aesthetic photos and enjoy with your friends, you can start with straightforward recipes like this one.
1. Take two sticks of butter out of the fridge and set them out to soften.
2. Place a waxed paper on a wooden, marble, or terrazzo board.
3. Once the butter is at room temperature, spread it on the paper. You can use a spoon or a cake spatula.
4. Garnish with your favourite toppings. For a sweet butter board, you can decorate it with strawberries, raspberries, jam, chocolate chips, marshmallows, edible flowers, lemon zest or honey.
5. For a savoury butter board, add red onion, olives, basil, dill, sea salt, chillies, chives and more.
6. Serve with sourdough bread, crackers or bread sticks.
