🧈 French-Inspired · Sauces
Café de Paris Butter
A savoury compound butter loaded with shallot, garlic, herbs, capers, gherkins, anchovy, mustard, citrus and warm spice.
Behind the plate
Café de Paris butter is a complete finishing sauce held in a sliceable log. As it melts over hot meat, fish or prawns, the herbs, pickles, anchovy and citrus release directly onto the plate.
This is a very large production formula using fifteen 454 g blocks of butter. Softening—not melting—the butter is essential so the flavourings remain evenly suspended when the logs are rolled and frozen.
Why this recipe works
Room-temperature butter traps the chopped aromatics in a stable fat matrix. Acid from lemon, capers and gherkins balances the richness, while anchovy, mustard and spices give the butter enough savoury intensity to season the food beneath it.
The recipe
Ingredients
- 6,810 g butter (15 × 454 g blocks), softened
- 500 g shallots, finely diced
- 200 g garlic, finely chopped
- 50 g fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 50 g fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 250 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 50 g fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- 50 g finely grated lemon zest
- 200 ml fresh lemon juice
- 200 g capers, drained and finely chopped
- 200 g gherkins, drained and finely chopped
- 200 g anchovies, drained and finely chopped
- 50 g Dijon mustard
- 30 g ground turmeric
- 70 g tikka spice mix
- 20 ml Tabasco sauce
Method
- Bring the butter to a soft, workable room temperature without melting it.
- Prepare every shallot, garlic, herb, citrus, pickle and anchovy ingredient finely so it will slice cleanly in the finished logs.
- Place the softened butter in a large mixer and combine it with all the measured ingredients at low speed.
- Scrape the bowl repeatedly and continue mixing only until the colour and flavourings are completely even.
- Portion onto sheets of food-safe wrap, roll into tight uniform logs and twist the ends securely.
- Label and freeze. Slice from chilled or partially frozen, then melt a measured piece over hot cooked food at service.
Chef’s notes
- Soft butter should hold its shape. Melted butter allows the solids to sink and produces uneven logs.
- Drain capers, gherkins and anchovies well so excess liquid does not weaken the butter.
- The submission also included an unquantified list of marjoram, dill, paprika, chives, curry powder and Worcestershire sauce. Those are not added until exact amounts are supplied.
- Commercial tikka spice and Tabasco contribute salt and may add allergens; taste a cooked sample before adjusting.
At the table
Use the linked portion on Grilled Gambas, or melt slices over steak, market fish, roast vegetables and warm bread.