Churned Butter (Beurre de Baratte)

Provence is not cow country, so olive oil often replaces butter in traditional cooking. However, butter has a place in nearly all Provençal kitchens. That's because it is simply indispensible for the morning toast and jam (the "tartine") that is part of the standard breakfast all over France. And that's also because in baking, olive oil makes a harder crust, whereas with butter you can achieve crusts that are softer inside (think tarte) and flakier outside (think croissant).

butter provence baratte

Our butter is produced on the island of Ré in Poitou, South of Brittany. It is a "beurre de baratte", a traditional rustic butter. The "baratte" process, developed in French dairies, slowly churns the cream after it has matured for 18 hours. It makes a sort of "double butter" with a texture that is smooth, rich and flavourful. Our label bears the "AOC" stamp, a stamp of guarantee about the quality and origin of the product.

Butter with Sea Salt

This creamy, spreadable butter is made with crunchy sea salt.

Sweet Unsalted Butter

Unsalted butter has a more delicate taste so it works better than salted butter when baking, and with delicate flavors such as those of seafood.

Here are our butter tips:

Keep it fresh. Store butter in its original wrap or in a sealed container in the coldest part of the fridge, not in the door. Keep it away from foods with strong odors as it absorbs them.

For melt-in-your-mouth cookies, use unsalted butter softened a bit. With its low melting point, butter helps make cookies soft and chewy on the inside but crisp and golden on the outside.

For flakier pie crusts and puff pastries, keep butter as hard and cold as possible before use. The flaky texture is produced when cold pieces of butter, trapped between thin layers of dough, melt during baking, creating small air pockets.

For the best consistency and flavor in sauces, use cold, hard butter.

To keep the flavor of spices, both savory and sweet, add butter. This will also integrate the flavor throughout the entire dish.

You've probably heard this already: many health experts advise not to burn butter.