Café de Paris Butter
The creamy classic to serve with steak. Why have a sauce when butter will do? Café de Paris butter is the perfect substitute for sauce with a nice cut of meat fresh, aromatic, and incredibly flavorful. Gently sautéed shallots and garlic meet fresh tarragon, parsley, and rosemary, complemented by the subtle warmth of curry and paprika, a hint of anchovy and capers for depth, and a splash of lemon that makes the whole dish shine. The best part: As soon as the pat of butter begins to melt slowly on the hot steak and combines with the pan juices to form a glossy, aromatic sauce, you won’t need anything else except maybe a piece of bread to wipe the plate clean. Rolled up and stored in the freezer, it’s always on hand for a spontaneous barbecue night just as much as for a Sunday steak.
Send shopping list to Bring!Preparation
1. Prepare the shallot and herb mixture
- 40gButter (unsalted)
- 6gParsley (fresh)
- 6gTarragon (fresh)
- 2gRosemary (fresh)
- 85gShallots
- 11gGarlic (fresh)
- 2.5gRed peppercorns
- 25gTomato paste (Tomato purée)
- 4gPaprika powder (sweet)
- 4gMadras curry powder (mild)
- 2pnSugar
Peel the shallots and garlic, remove the cores, trim the thick stems from the herbs, crush the peppercorns in a mortar, and then chop everything in a food processor. Add to a skillet with the butter and sauté over heat level 4/9, making sure it doesn’t brown. Finally, add the tomato paste, spices, and sugar; mix well and sauté briefly. Then let cool completely.
2. Beat the butter until fluffy
- 250gButter (unsalted)
Remove the butter from the refrigerator 1 hour before use. Using the whisk attachment on a mixer, beat the softened butter for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy.
3. Prepare the Café de Paris
- 2pcAnchovy fillet (pickled in oil)
- 1tsCapers
- 10gMustard
- 1.5tsLemon zest
- 2.5tsLemon juice
- 4.5gWorcestershire Sauce
- 10gSalt
Finely chop the anchovy fillets and capers, then add them along with all the remaining ingredients and the cooled shallot-herb mixture to the whipped butter, and mix well again in the mixer.
4. Storage and Shelf Life
- 1pcPlastic wrap
Place a generous piece of plastic wrap (about 40 cm) on the work surface. Using a spoon or spatula, place the prepared Café de Paris butter in a long strip on the lower third of the plastic wrap, leaving a margin of about 5 cm on each side. Fold the plastic wrap over the butter and roughly shape the mixture with your hands into a roll about 4 cm in diameter. Now wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the butter and roll it evenly into a round shape, applying light pressure. To make the roll nice and compact: grasp both ends of the plastic wrap and twist the roll like a piece of candy; this pulls the plastic wrap tightly around the butter and squeezes out any air bubbles. Tuck the twisted ends under the roll or tie them in a knot. There are various theories regarding the shelf life of frozen foods; for my part, I’ve rarely had to throw away frozen items and have never had a bad experience doing so. Generally speaking, freezer burn is neither harmful nor toxic, but it does reduce the quality of the frozen food. As a general rule, the longer something is frozen, the more nutrients and flavor are lost.
