What kind of butter does Joël Robuchon, the legendary chef with 32 Michelin stars, serve his customers with bread? Find out below 🙂
I am back with my second post! I’m taking my time today to do a little taste test for my goûter (snack) 😉
I’ve always heard that European butters are the best in the world, due to the quality of their dairy products and the processing that results in a higher fat content. The usual fat content for the rest of the world is around 80%, but it is in above 82% in Europe. The results in a superior, flavorful butter with a creamier mouthfeel!
I decided to prove it for myself and bought the 3 most talked about butter I personally have seen: Échiré (I heard that Japanese people LOVE these), Beurre Isigny Sainte Mère, and Le Beurre Bordier. What surprised me was that Beurre Bordier is not as widely available as the other two here in Paris! For Échiré and Isigny Sainte Mère, you can find them in the usual supermarkets or even at minimarkets (Super U, Franprix, G20, etc.). Beurre Bordier, on the other hand, are only available in specialty shops! A few places that I was able to find it at: Fromageries (the shops where they solely sell cheeses), La Grande Épicerie, Gallerie Lafayette Le Gourmet, and Breizh Café (so you can get your crepes and eat du beurre too!).
Besides the Doux (unsalted) version of the Beurre Bordier, I also bought the Oignon Roscoff version. I saw these in quite a few gourmet tiktoks and apparently people LOVE this!
Onto the taste test:
1. Échiré
The Échiré butter is big in Japan! They even use it to make specialty cake, as you can see in this article. I found this mini Échiré butter in La Grande Épicerie in Paris. It is wrapped in foil and is practical! Especially since I am buying several different types to find out the very best one!
It has a very rich, very creamy mouthfeel, and the depth of flavor is better than off the shelf butters I usually find in my country (Elle et vire, private label grocery store butter, Anchor, etc.). There is definitely a difference! I got the Échiré butter in Doux (unsalted) to taste its complexity, and after tasting it with and without salt, I do believe that you can taste its depth of flavor better eating it without salt. My personal preference, though, is still to eat it with salt. I’m using these pyramid shaped salt from Kalios!
2. Isigny Sainte Mère
This butter is also internationally renowned! I found out about this brand from Korean YouTubers. Tell me I’m not the only one drooling when Yeosu Unnie slathers it on top of everything she eats?!
I was only able to find the demi-sel Isigny Sainte Mère butter in the small package. The packaging is the best out of all these butters I have tried; it is a foil cup with a foil lid.
What is a demi-sel butter, you might ask? In France, butters are categorized according to its salinity! Isn’t it awesome? Here are the categories:
a. Doux: unsalted
b. Demi-sel: 0.5-3% salt
c. Salé: >3% salt
I personally heavily favor the demi-sel version as an accompaniment to my bread. It just amplifies the natural taste the butter has.
This butter has a good flavor, but as expected, the tang of salt dominates. I would have to say that this is less rich compared to all the other butters, with less depth on my palate. The Isigny Sainte Mère would be suitable for those who likes a lighter taste!
3. Le Beurre Bordier
I don’t want to be dramatic, but this butter is so damn good. It has raised the bar on what butter should be. If I died and got reincarnated as a cow, THIS butter will be the pinnacle of my butter-making career. This is the butter used by the famed chef Joël Robuchon.
The richness are just upped another level, and the aftertaste is almost like beef tallow. It’s like the essence of the cow is incorporated to this yellow hunk of deliciousness. There was an animalic element to it, which surprised me. I just could not stop myself to slather it on my baguette again an again. Someone please save me!
Does Packaging Matter for Butter?
After I posted about my butter taste test on Instagram, a friend told me that he didn’t feel like this butter lives up to the hype. So being the dedicated reviewer that I am, I re-purchased the Doux version one more time, in the block form.
What I found was that this animalic, tallow-like flavor was much more pronounced in the pyramid version! It was almost like night and day. The block version has this taste as well, but in a much milder way. I love strong flavors, so I prefer the pyramid version.
My Final Ranking
Beurre Bordier
Échiré
Isigny Sainte Mère
We do have to remember that this butter flavor is highly dependent on the milk that was used to make them. In other words, it is dependent on many factors (the cow’s diet, acidity, curd, air/oxygen content, pasteurization, storage temperature, etc.).
If you have tried these butters before in other countries but was not impressed, there is also a chance that the storage conditions were not optimal over long journeys.
Bonus: Beurre Bordier Oignon de Roscoff
What is Oignon de Roscoff?
After my research, I found that it is an AOP-protected onion grown in the Brittany region of France. It was introduced by a monk, Frère Cyril, that planted these onions after his trip to Lisbon, Portugal. This introduction in 1647 to the Convent of Roscoff (Couvent de Roscoff) started a wildfire (or should I say and onion-fueled fire?) for onion cultivation in this region. Its taste and storage time were said to be its most advantageous qualities.
It was then protected under AOP in 2009, so les Oignons de Roscoff can only be grown in a predetermined region!
Beurre Bordier had mixed this cultural jewel into their butter, creating a.. super onion-y butter (LOL, I’m sorry for the in-your-face description). Honestly, I expected a little more novelty in flavor, but I do love what they created. It has the best qualities of an onion, condensed into a block of buttery goodness. The taste, however, does not have the sharp spiciness of a fresh bulb. The flavor profile is more mellow, but still punches hard. If you do love strong onion flavor & the tallow-like richness of Beurre Bordier, this is a must try. Find it in La Grande Épicerie, Gallerie Lafayette Le Gourmet, or Breizh Café.
Bonus 2: Beurre Bordier Algues
What is Algues?
It’s just algae a.k.a. seaweed! This company makes their seaweed butter with 3 types: Wakame, Dulse, and Sea Lettuce. See how they make it in this video 🙂
I can only describe the taste as salty and briny like the ocean. It’s like salted butter with hints of nori and flakes of actual seaweed mixed into the butter. It is an interesting experience with a tad more umami, but I find myself liking the Oignon de Roscoff version more.
Please feel free to tell me that I am being dramatic, because this is worth the drama.
I bought the pyramid version at Galleries Lafayette Le Gourmet (the grocery store in the basement), and bought the block version at La Grande Épicerie and Breizh Café in Marais.
Hope you enjoy this butter adventure!
P.S. = If you are a curious foodie, check out our Paris croissant ranking HERE!
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