A compound butter is one of the easiest ways to to turn a piece of meat into a meal. It can be as simple as anchovies, garlic or fresh herbs mixed through butter, or as complex as the most famous version: Café de Paris. This butter was created in the early 1940s at the Café de Paris restaurant in Geneva, Switzerland, where it’s still served today. Although it appears on many menus, the original recipe is secret, so everyone has their own variation. My father-in-law worked at the Hotel Savoy in London in the 1940s with a chef who had worked at Café de Paris, and his version has been passed down to our family and appears in several cookbooks. My version is a little simpler than his, but still lifts a simple steak from good to great, and has the advantage that all ingredients should either be in your pantry or easy to come by. Serve entrecôte Cafe de Paris simply with crusty bread to soak up all the delicious butter, add a green salad and/or French fries, or go all out with a decadent, but easy, pommes Dauphinoise (see video below). This recipe makes enough butter for 12 or so serves, but it’s easier to make in this quantity, freezes well for several months, and is great melted over steak, poultry, seafood or vegetables. And alongside, I reckon you can’t beat a glass of Leuconoe Yarra Valley sangiovese from the rather quirky Behn Payten & Troy Jones.
Serves 4
Café de Paris Butter
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