I used to think nothing could beat the elegant simplicity of a plate filled with cheeses, crackers, and an assortment of other junk. It’s the centerpiece of any party that’s worth attending, and I feel personally offended when there isn’t one. But now that I’ve learned about the butter board, my entire reality has shifted. What are butter boards? Please, come on this buttery journey with me.
What is a butter board?
The butter board is a relatively recent culinary creation, making its first appearance in 2017. Chef Joshua McFadden created it and included it in his cookbook Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables. The dish features good quality butter spread onto a wooden cutting board and adorned with a variety of herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, and even edible flowers.
The butter board is served in conjunction with sliced bread, which you use to scrape the decorated butter off the board, effectively buttering your bread. The whole thing is a fun, communal twist on the traditional bread and butter you might get at a restaurant or even a replacement for the standard charcuterie board or fondue pot you may have at a party. It is, after all, much easier to slap some butter on a cutting board than it is to cut a bunch of different cheeses.
What is the viral butter board trend?
Like many modern food trends, the butter board gained popularity on TikTok during the pandemic. Food blogger Justine Doiron posted her own version of the butter board in 2022 and it went viral, garnering over a million likes. If you browse butter boards TikTok, #butterboard brings back hundreds of options; each butter board different than the last.
How to make a butter board?
The important thing is to start with softened butter, otherwise you won’t be able to artfully spread it across a big board. After that, it’s all jazz, baby. McFadden mentions the versatility of the butter board, saying that no two butter boards you make should taste the same. That’s because the combination of ingredients, breads, and even butters is completely modular and can be made to fit any occasion. Here are some ideas:
Halloween: butter of your choice, roasted pumpkin seeds, fresh or pickled button mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, fig, edible viola flowers, served with a heavily seeded bread (or even a pumpkin flavored bread).
Thanksgiving: butter of your choice, dried cranberry, cinnamon, walnut, finely chopped roasted butternut squash, shredded brussel sprouts, served with classic dinner rolls.
Harvest: butter of your choice, granny smith apple, pickled beets, roasted chestnuts, arugula, a drizzle of honey, any bread you want.
You can make a butter board for any season or holiday. It’s a great way to express your creativity and surprise friends with something different at your next party.
Try a butter board. Cholesterol be damned.
FAQs
The dish features good quality butter spread onto a wooden cutting board and adorned with a variety of herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, and even edible flowers. The butter board is served in conjunction with sliced bread, which you use to scrape the decorated butter off the board, effectively buttering your bread.
What is a butter board? ›
The basic idea of a butter board is softened butter that's decoratively swirled onto a nonporous (e.g., faux wood, marble, slate, ceramic) board.
What's replacing charcuterie board? ›
In place of the cheese and meats on a charcuterie board, a butter board is softened butter spread out on a wooden board and then covered in herbs to serve over bread.
What is the 3-3-3 rule for charcuterie? ›
What is the 3-3-3-3 Rule for Charcuterie Boards? No matter the style of the wood charcuterie board, you can always follow the 3-3-3-3 rule. Every charcuterie board should have three meats, three cheeses, three starch options, and three accompaniments, such as fruit, nuts, or veggies.
How do I eat a butter board? ›
Serve with warm bread, toasted bread, seeded crackers, or anything that goes amazingly with butter. Place small spoons or butter knives out with the board and encourage everyone to scoop, spread, and enjoy!
Why do people like butter boards? ›
Plus, they look nice and you get to eat butter. Naturally, I'm in. Making a butter board is simple, nearly impossible to screw up and it allows for truly limitless variations. To craft a butter board, simply spread softened butter in some aesthetically pleasing way onto a cutting board.
Are butter boards safe? ›
Still, the potential food safety hazard of a butter board comes largely from the snacks or garnishes, rather than the butter itself. “The butter is not the culprit,” Baum wrote in an email to Verywell. “The other items that are added to the butter can create problems.”
What are 5 things to avoid on a charcuterie board? ›
There are a few that I would stay away from eggplants, brussels sprouts, turnips, beets, zucchini and mushrooms. Many of these vegetables taste best when cooked, and Charcuterie boards generally don't include steamed or cooked veggies.
How many cheese should be on a charcuterie board? ›
Plan for about 1-2 ounces of cheese per person. As with your meat selections, have your cheese sliced thin (at a 1-2 thickness) to make layering easier. If you'd like to incorporate cheese cubes, or have guests cut their own pieces, have those sliced at an 8-10 thickness.
What is the rule of thumb for a charcuterie board? ›
Depending on the size of your board, you should have one each of cow, sheep, and goat options with soft rind, firm, and hard cheeses in the mix. Flavors should range between nutty and mild to funky and unique. Rule of thumb: 1 cow, 1 sheep, 1 goat; 1 soft, 1 firm, 1 hard.
TEXAS ROADHOUSE BUTTER BOARD (viral butter board recipe)
Ingredients • 1 stick salted butter, room temperature • 1/4 cup honey • 3 tbsp powdered sugar • 1 tbsp cinnamon + more to garnish • Warm bread Instructions • spread the butter on a platter • Place honey in a microwaveable bowl and heat for 10 seconds.
What is the butter board craze? ›
The butter board is the latest internet food trend to take off and it was popularised by New York influencer Justine Doiron who added salt, lemon zest, honey, coriander and edible flowers to a slab of butter. Her original post has been viewed 8 million times on TikTok.
Who started the butter board trend? ›
It started with a viral video of influencer chef Justine Doiron carefully slathering two sticks of butter directly onto a wooden cheese board, seasoning the thick layer with flaky sea salt and lemon zest, arranging torn herbs and red onion across the surface, and finally finishing the dish with flower petals and a ...
How long do you leave board butter on? ›
Let the treated wood sit overnight so it can absorb the board butter. The next day you can use a cloth or paper towel to buff off any that didn't soak in (but usually it's completely absorbed). You should have a nice, satiny (not greasy) surface.
