Years ago, I cooked at Craigie on Main, a French-inspired bistro in the heart of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Like any good line cook, I purged my station of all nonessentials; the few mise en place that I kept on hand included salt and pepper, vegetable stock, a squeeze bottle of lemon juice, minced chives, and beurre monté.
That last one, emulsified melted butter, has long been the lifeblood of many professional French kitchens. Mine sat at the edge of the French top, where it was just warm enough for the butter to remain creamy and fluid. Throughout service, I’d ladle a splash into the various pans I was shuffling. Suddenly, the food would glow: Turnips and radishes would turn glossy. A broken pasta sauce would pull together. Meat and vegetable juices would swell with velvety body.
It was a last-minute touch of luxury, and it could be slipped into any dish because monté is nothing more than butter whisked into a little simmering water. That versatility makes it a great tool for home cooks too: You can whip up a batch in 10 minutes, flavor it with all sorts of seasonings (savory or sweet), and use it to add richness and polish to whatever you’re cooking: Steamed vegetables. Roast pork or potatoes. Filled pastas. Seared scallops. A platter of ruffly crepes. Think of it as butter in sauce form.
From Melted to Monté
The difference between beurre monté and melted butter looks and feels like the
