After hearing for years that we ought to shun butter, it’s a relief that the latest research suggests it’s actually not so bad for us at all. This was great news for Jennell Carter and Alicia Menard, owners of Casco Bay Butter Co. in Scarborough, Maine. The two slow-churn high-quality cream from small dairies in Maine and throughout New England, and offer 20 flavorful varieties of artisanal compound butters, including sea salt, lemon chive, peach habanero, and maple ($5.99 to $6.99 for 5.5 ounces). The duo started flavoring rich, golden butters they made as a hobby using a KitchenAid and sold them at farmers’ markets. When demand grew from fans, and from chefs, they moved two years ago from a church kitchen into a larger production space. Their cultured sea salt butter was, in fact, featured on a menu at a dinner at the James Beard House in New York City. The butters are not just for toast or muffins, but also for finishing sauces or to enhance a dish. Containers offer pairing suggestions: truffle butter adds rich flavor when spread on burgers, steaks, and blended into mashed potatoes or pasta; garlic and herb butter is delicious for scrambling eggs or on corn on the cob; drizzle caramel butter on sweet potatoes, squash, or popcorn. “We want people to think outside the bread box,” says Menard. www.cascobaybutter.com. Available at When Pigs Fly stores and Whole Foods Market, selected locations.
Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at atrieger@comcast.net.
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