Butter Worth
Premium artisanal butter comes Stateside
America's relationship with butter has been nothing if not complicated. Coronary-inducing overuse in the 1950s and '60s gave way to health-conscious abhorrence (and the horrifying proliferation of faux-butter products) in the '80s and '90s.
Historically, butter connoisseurs had to look across the Atlantic for a quality producer. But these days, more and more domestic creameries are giving us worthy alternatives.
Our favorites (below) will elevate any piecrust or beurre blanc, but the best way (we think) to savor these milk fats: Spread on sliced bread, eat, repeat.
Animal Farm Diane St. Clair's microbatch (she has only eight cows), hand-churned Vermont butter is so flavorful that it's attracted the attention of chefs like Thomas Keller and Barbara Lynch, who serve it in their restaurants (animalfarmvt.com).
PastureLand Co-op This Minnesota farm's organic Summer Gold butter uses milk from its grass-fed herd, imbuing the butter with bright, herbaceous notes (pastureland.coop).
Straus Family Creamery The European-style butters from this California farm have a distinctly high (85 percent) butterfat content, which gives them an irresistibly velvety mouthfeel (strausfamilycreamery.com).
Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery Allison Hooper's 25-year-old company--one of the pioneers of artisanal dairy products--has recently revamped its name and image. Its logs of sea salt-flecked butter, however, still have that same crunch and delicious flavor we've come to love (vtbutterandcheeseco.com).
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