What to Make With Browned Butter

Make the most of the most magical fat

By SAVEUR Editors
December 10, 2015

15 minutes and a saucepan and a stick of the yellow stuff—all you need to make what may be the world's most magical fat. If you need a primer, here's a handy video on how to make browned butter in all its nutty, toasty, sweet-savory glory. Caught up? Good. Now here's what to cook with it.

Browned butter skips seamlessly from savory dishes to sweet, and we drizzle it on everything from scallops to pie filling. Whether you're putting it to work in dinner or dessert, it adds an unbeatable fragrance and depth of flavor unlike any spice or pan-searing technique or saucy reduction. Here are 15 ways to put it to use.

Brown Butter Skillet Cake with Berry Compote (Kaiserschmarrn)

Brown Butter Skillet Cake with Berry Compote (Kaiserschmarrn)

Essentially torn pieces of pancake topped with oozing lingonberry or cranberry sauce, this dessert is a cinch, even for the baking-challenged. Get the recipe for Brown Butter Skillet Cake with Berry Compote (Kaiserschmarrn) »Tom Parker

STEAMED PORK BELLY DUMPLINGS

Olia Hercules Manti
Browned butter brings an extra layer of flavor, but the cherry on top comes in the form of fried shallots.Matt Taylor-Gross

Pappardelle with Cauliflower and Mustard Brown Butter

Pappardelle with Cauliflower and Mustard Brown Butter
Simple ingredients—chewy, charred cauliflower, fried capers and bread crumbs, and browned butter, bolstered by whole grain mustard—combine for the ultimate late-winter pasta.Joseph De Leo

Brown Butter, Peas, and Mint Omelette

Brown Butter, Peas, and Mint Omelette
Rich, nutty brown butter perfectly offsets the fresh flavor of sweet peas and mint.Yossy Arefi
Brown Butter Lobster Roll

Brown Butter Lobster Roll

A simple mix of brown butter, lemon juice, and salt gives this lobster roll a warm, nutty flavor.Farideh Sadeghin
Butter-Basted Eggs

Butter-Basted Eggs

Crispy-bottomed fried eggs make an ideal breakfast.Helen Rosner
Pappardelle with Butternut Squash, Walnuts, and Baby Kale

Pappardelle with Butternut Squash, Walnuts, and Baby Kale

Toasted walnuts, roasted butternut squash, baby kale, and a rich brown butter sauce combine over broad pappardelle noodles for a dish that perfectly captures fall's best flavors.Helen Rosner
Brown Butter Tart with Blackberries

Brown Butter Tart with Blackberries

Melt butter in the oven for a fast, versatile tart crust with intense nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with pastry cream and fresh berries. For easy serving, prepare the tarts in individual aluminum cups.Ingalls Photography
Brown Butter Pasta

Brown Butter Pasta

Chef Gabrielle Hamilton of New York City's Prune restaurant gave us her recipe for this delicious pasta, which is tossed in brown butter and pine nuts, then topped with sunny-side-up eggs.Todd Coleman
Grilled Scallops with Pomegranate and Endive

Grilled Scallops with Pomegranate Brown Butter and Toasted Hazelnuts

Use the biggest scallops you can find and brush them with nutty browned butter tinged with tart pomegranate.Matt Taylor-Gross
Pan-Seared Trout with Pecan Brown Butter Sauce

Pan-Seared Trout with Pecan Brown Butter Sauce

Puréed pecans enrich a butter sauce for pan-seared filets of trout.Ingalls Photography
Brown Butter Walnut Pie with Sour Whipped Cream

Brown Butter Walnut Pie with Sour Whipped Cream

Browned butter accentuates the flavor of earthy walnuts and a sour cream topping offsets the richness of the filling for a balanced, delectable dessert.Andrew Ingalls
Chocolate-Dipped Orange Financiers

Chocolate-Dipped Orange Financiers

These moist small cakes, suffused with nutty brown butter and bright orange zest, come from chef Kir Jensen at The Sugar Cube in Portland, Oregon.Todd Coleman
Pistachio Financiers

Pistachio Financiers

This two-bite pastry is as rich as the name suggests: its defining ingredients are almond flour, ground pistachios, and brown butter, lightened with whipped egg whites.Todd Coleman
Brown Butter Thumbprints with Lime Curd

Brown Butter Thumbprints with Lime Curd

Nutty browned butter enlivens and permeates these shortbread thumbprints, filled with tangy lime curd, for a warm, sour flavor often absent from overly-sweet holiday desserts.

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