The Butter Brand Nancy Silverton Can't Go Without

Nancy Silverton is a certified culinary legend. Not only is she the co-owner of the Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza, but Silverton is also the founder of La Brea bakery in Los Angeles, which spurred the American artisan bread movement in the late '80s. Clearly, the James Beard award-winning chef is an expert in bread, and as a result, its perfect pairing, butter. And if there's one brand that Nancy Silverton can't go without, it's French butter by Rodolphe Le Meunier.

This French butter is so rich and creamy that Silverton told Treehouse Hotels if she were stranded on a desert island her food of choice would be bread and Rodolphe Le Meunier's salted beurre de baratte. Silverton also told Food & Wine that Le Meunier's product is so good that it "would kick the margarine's a**." With high praise like that, it's no wonder that Silverton always has some in her fridge.

Silverton's ride-or-die butter is named after the acclaimed French cheese artisan and affineur (French for cheese ager) Rodolphe Le Meunier. In the Loire Valley, the fifth-generation cheese specialist crafts his beurre de baratte the traditional way. 

The butter is made in a wooden butter churn with pasteurized cream sourced from French farms, molded by hand, stamped with the likeness of a cow, and wrapped in gold foil. The butters come unsalted, lightly salted, or flavored and generally run upward of $12 for 250 grams. While the price may seem steep, the creamy, deep-yellow butter has strong nutty and umami notes that the Los Angeles Times mused is, "like popcorn butter times 10." 

Over the years, the French butter collected a cult fascination being featured in some of Los Angeles' best restaurants and home cooks alike. Even in our list of 20 fancy butter brands, his beurre de baratte ranked as first choice. European-style butters like this one are richer and have a more complex tang than American butters due to their higher butterfat content and being cultured. This higher fat content makes European butters better for making flakier pie crust, but if you're like Silverton, you can enjoy Rodolphe Le Meunier's butter simply slathered on a slice of bread.