Salty, savory and gloriously delicious, Cafe de Paris butter is truly the king of all compound butters out there! Top your perfectly grilled steaks with a small slice or two of this butter, and watch it melt perfectly, creating that shimmery golden sauce that takes it to the next level.
While the original recipe, originating from the restaurant Café de Paris in Geneva, Switzerland is still a secret, this is my humble attempt at recreating it, trying to capture the essence of those flavors with simple kitchen ingredients.
This isn't the first time I've experimented with a compound butter. My avocado butter spread is perfect to top over your toasted bread for breakfast, and my Cowboy butter dipping sauce is perfect for all of your grilling experiments.
This French inspired butter, however, has top notch flavors, and is perfect for occasions when you want to enjoy a restaurant-style dinner at home.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
The flavors! This compound butter really captures the essence of all the ingredients that go into it, and is wicked delicious, to say the least.
And of course, you can make it once and freeze it for months, if not longer, which makes it really convenient.
Recipe Ingredients
Butter: I love using salted butter. If you can, use French butter, which may be a bit more expensive, but is absolutely worth it.
Anchovies: The most important ingredient- in my opinion. Don't be worried about the fishy smell- it actually leaves a very beautiful umami flavor that you don't want to miss. You can also use anchovy paste if that's what you have.
Worcestershire sauce: For that smoky, savory depth and flavor.
Eschalots: These are also known as French onions, and have a nice purple skin on the outside. You'll need them, again, for the texture and flavor.
Garlic: For the savoriness. Garlic powder can work in a pinch if you don't have fresh garlic.
Lemon: Just a dash, to add some brightness to the compound butter.
Paprika: To add a bit of heat and a slight color.
Mustard: For the sharpness and a bit of pungent flavor. I love using the classic yellow mustard instead of Dijon mustard.
Herbs: I used a mix of rosemary, thyme, parsley and tarragon.
See recipe card for quantities.
Issigny fleur de sel butter has just the right amount of salt in small crystals that bring out the rich butter flavor and give it a little crunch.
Substitutions & Variations
- For a bit of extra flavor, you can also add a pinch or two of curry powder into the mix.
- If you can't find eschalots, use finely minced red onion instead.
- To add some more heat, swap the paprika with cayenne.
How to Make Cafe de Paris Butter
Step 1: Start by finely chopping the herbs, garlic and eschalots.
Step 2: Add them to a bowl along with the seasonings and softened butter.
Step 3: Top with lemon juice.
Step 4: Add the anchovies, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.
Step 5: Use a spoon to whisk everything together until you get a smooth, uniform mixture.
Step 6: Place it on some cling wrap, cover and roll into a log like this and refrigerate for 3-4 hours until the butter hardens.
💭Top Tip
Make sure you tighten the ends of the log, so that it has a neat, tidy shape when you uncover it.
How to Store Leftover Cafe de Paris Butter
Store the leftover Cafe de Paris butter in the refrigerator for a week or two, or in the freezer for up to 4 months. I would recommend using souper cubes or silicone freezer molds to store the butter and keep it fresh for longer.
Spend less time thinking about what you're going to eat and more time enjoying it. Our silicone freezer trays with lids are designed to make meal prep a breeze. They are made from 100% pure platinum food-grade silicone with a steel-reinforced top and a convenient lid.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If you're worried about the sodium content in this compound butter, use unsalted butter as the base.
- If the butter and the sauces don't seem to amalgamate, you can whisk it all in a high powered blender.
- To add some extra depth of flavor to the butter, swap the salt in the recipe with some garlic parsley salt or homemade herb salt instead.
How to Use Cafe de Paris Butter
The classic way to use Cafe de Paris butter is to top your sizzling hot steak with a slice or two! I love alternating between my lemon caper sauce and this butter with my steak. Sometimes, I also top a dollop of this over my baked or mashed potatoes.
You can also use this butter as a marinade for your meats and veggies. I'm partial to my Turkish red pepper paste, which I made recently, but I think this flavored butter would be insanely delicious too. I also think you can use this as a swap for some classic garlic butter whenever you're making homemade garlic bread.
Recipe FAQs
Anchovies are probably the most crucial element of this recipe, and add that savory depth of flavor. If you don't have them at hand, consider using some mushroom powder instead.
You can try using a plant based butter if you want to, but I'm not sure if the texture and taste will be the same.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Cafe de Paris Butter or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Cafe de Paris Butter (Steak Butter)
Ingredients
- 300 g butter
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1-2 garlic
- 1-2 anchovies
- 2-3 eschalots
- ½ teaspoon tarragon
- ¼ teaspoon parsley
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon rosemary
Instructions
- Start by finely chopping the herbs, garlic and eschalots.
- Add them to a bowl along with the seasonings and softened butter.
- Top with lemon juice.
- Add the anchovies, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.
- Use a spoon to whisk everything together until you get a smooth, uniform mixture.
- Place it on some cling wrap, cover and roll into a log like this and refrigerate for 3-4 hours until the butter hardens.
Notes
- Make sure you tighten the ends of the log, so that it has a neat, tidy shape when you uncover it.
- If you're worried about the sodium content in this compound butter, use unsalted butter as the base.
- If the butter and the sauces don't seem to amalgamate, you can whisk it all in a high powered blender.
- To add some extra depth of flavor to the butter, swap the salt in the recipe with some garlic parsley salt or homemade herb salt instead.
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