Egg Yolk Butter

We call this Farmer’s Market Butter. While you can’t necessarily sear or cook anything in this butter because the yolk would curdle, you can use the butter to liason — a French term meaning to thicken a sauce — most fresh vegetables or pastas. For instance, Jacques Pépin’s recipe for buttered peas are liasoned with cream, egg yolk, and butter. To do this, blanch the peas if fresh. In a pot, add a little water and allow to come up to a boil. Add in cream and then add cubes of the egg yolk butter. Toss or stir until rich and brothy.

There’s a few different techniques to partially cook or set the egg yolks. You can poach an egg standard style or by using an immersion circulator.

Egg Yolk Butter
makes 1# butter

shopping list —

• 1# butter

• 4 eggs

• salt to taste

equipment —

• robot coupe or food processor

steps —

1. Using sous vide: 62.2ºC. Poach for 1 hour. Shock in ice bath. Separate the yolks from the whites.

2. Or, poach an egg in simmering water with a splash of vinegar. Remove and shock in an ice bath. Separate the yolks from the whites.

3. Add the room temperature butter to the food processor and add the yolks. Pulse until smooth. Season with salt. If desired, add a little lemon zest.

4. Roll the butter and store. If properly wrapped, the butter can keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.