The ChowFamily was at my parents’ house in Pennsylvania for Easter weekend. Atticus ran them ragged. And they loved every minute of it. On Sunday morning, Atticus saw a rabbit in the yard and somehow became convinced it was the Easter Bunny stopping by to hide the eggs (thanks, Ma!)—he couldn’t wait to go on his first hunt. But before we did, three generations sat around the table reminiscing about Easters past. And my dad said, “Do you remember brown butter?” 

Do I ever. My grandma used to make brown butter noodles for almost every holiday meal. But brown butter disappeared in our household when margarine (yuck!) became the “butter” of choice. I’ve made sage brown butter for ravioli before—but not in years. So I decided to try my hand at a few brown butter variations. Here’s the technique for making this sauce, which is so easy and versatile that I’m going to make it a lot more often. 

Basic Brown Butter

(can be served to kids 12+ months)

1 stick organic unsalted butter

1. In a stainless-steel saucepan over low-to-medium heat, melt the butter. Cook while stirring occasionally—the butter will foam and then turn first yellow, then tan, then a medium brown—about 5 minutes. 

2. Remove from heat and immediately transfer to a heat-proof glass bowl in a larger cold water bowl to halt the cooking. (You can also add acid like vinegar or lemon—see below—to immediately halt the cooking.)

For a great sauce for fish:

After cooking, stir in 1/2 tbsp organic fresh squeeze lemon juice, 1/4 cup chopped organic parsley, 1/4 cup organic capers, and sea salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over fish like cod, skate, or scallops and serve.

For a great sauce for pasta:

After cooking, add 1/4 tsp minced organic garlic, 1 tsp chopped fresh organic sage, 1 tsp organic balsamic vinegar, and sea salt and pepper to taste. Toss with pasta and serve.

For a great sauce for pancakes:

After cooking, stir in 1 tbsp honey and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp salt. Drizzle just a bit over pancakes and serve.