Thanksgiving is all about turkey, right? In truth, there’s one ingredient that’s even more ubiquitous for the big meal: butter. It’s in everything from the stuffing to the mashed potatoes to the crust of your pumpkin pie, and once Christmas season rolls around, is there any cookie recipe that doesn’t call for butter?
Look beyond the standard supermarket brands and you’ll find many stores also sell high-quality artisanal butters, with slightly higher fat content (makes for a flakier pie crust) and more flavor. Milk from Hudson Valley-based Ronnybrook Farm Dairy can be found all over the county, but the company also produces award-winning European-style butter, charmingly packaged in little tubs.
At Kriemhild Dairy Farms in upstate New York, “Meadow Butter” is only made from May to November, when cows eat flavorful grass. “We don’t add a lot of salt to our butter, because the flavor’s fantastic,” says co-owner Lindsey Jakubowski. “We don’t want to interfere with the grassy notes.” Their butter—which contains about 85 percent butterfat (most butters are only 80 percent)—is rich and decadent, perfect for spreading on your morning toast or making fantastic baked goods. Jay Muse, chef and partner at Lulu Cake Boutique in Scarsdale, agrees (it’s one of the butters he uses at the bakery). “Butter holds the key to a perfectly baked sweet,” says Muse. “Happy cows make happy butter and happy cakes!” And happy cakes make for very happy customers.
