Maitre d’Hotel Butter. Chances are you’ve had it, whether you realized it or not.
Maitre d’Hotel Butter is a simple compound butter recipe that elevates food with basic flavors: lemon, parsley and mustard.
Use it as a finishing butter on meats and vegetables for added pizzazz or just slather it on crusty bread for an extra umph.
Make sure you PIN Maitre d’ Butter!
The history is even more impressive than its wide range of uses, Maitre d’Hotel Butter is literally translated from French as “master of the hotel.”
In hotels, this usually meant the head waiter, would whip up his special blend of compound butter to be used as a finishing lather on dishes.
Most are made of a good quality butter, salt, parsley and lemon, but I once saw a chef also add a dab of Dijon mustard and sprinkle of smoked paprika to add even more pizzazz and a little bit of color.
Maitre d’Hotel Butter can be used to saute mushrooms or onions, really any vegetable, but it also perfect for the last sheen on an omelet or smothering a steak hot off the grill, a technique used by many high end steak houses.
PRO TIP: For special occassions, allow butter to come to room temperture, place it in a frosting piping bag, and make rosettes on parchment or wax paper.
Place back into the refrigerator or freezer and transfer to individual plates when ready to serve.
If you wait for it to hit room temperature, you can even use a pastry bag and frosting tip to pipe out small amounts onto a piece of wax paper or use a small scoop for butter balls.
Easy compound butters are perfect for taking an ordinary meal to amazing. Make sure you check out my whole list of compound butters!
If you like this Maitre d’Hotel Butter, check out these other compound butter recipes:
Questions you might have about how to make Maitre d’ Butter:
Can I use regular mustard? You can get as crazy as you want and use whatever type of mustard you fancy, but I will tell you that Dijon is the most verstile.
How long does maitre d butter last? The same amount of time as regular butter if kept chilled and properly stored.
Why does my butter taste funny? Chances are that you stored it near something else particularly pungent. Butter has the tendency to take on other smells and flavors.
To prevent this, cover well and don’t store near super smelly foods. This is why most fridges have their own dedicated butter compartment.
Can I make maitre d butter with garlic? Sure! Use roasted garlic or fresh for more flavor. The whole point of this flavored butter is that it was slightly different at every hotel. Make yours extra special with your favorite flavors.
What are other flavors I can add? Some of my favorites include:
- Capers, chopped
- Red onion, minced
- Anchovies, minced
- Fresh Herbs, minced
Is this the same as maitre d’hotel cream cheese? Well, yes and no. The same concept, but with cream cheese instead of butter.
Let us know what fun flavor combination you came up with in the comments!
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Maitre d’Hotel Butter
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup good quality unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 grates fresh lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley finely minced
- 1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Dash smoked paprika
Instructions
- Mash together all ingredients with a fork or spatula.
- Transfer to a piece of wax paper, forming into a log. Roll up like a piece of candy, twisting both ends.
- Refrigerate until hard, allowing flavors to infuse, a minimum of 1 hour. Makes 1/2 cup.
- Use on steaks, vegetables or even bread. Enjoy!
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!
