Sage and Caramelized Shallot Brown Butter on Pumpkin and Sage Biscuits

I’ve mentioned to a couple of friends that I was developing some compound butters for Kerrygold, my favorite butter for baking. They were unfamiliar with that phrase and though I could explain it easily enough the fact is that I think what’s come from this effort deserves a new name. I can’t help but think of ‘compound fractions’ when I hear that word and my relationship with algebra was nowhere near as fun as this experience has been. If you can help, let me know what you might call a tasty blend of butter, herbs, fruits, nuts…whatever. Not so compound as much as so fabulous!

I was provided samples of Kerrygold’s new Naturally Softer Irish Butter and Reduced Fat Irish Butter and asked to come up with some creative ideas on how I would use them. You know, beyond eating them with a spoon. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I’ve been in love with Kerrygold butters for a long time. My experience with their product in baked goods is legendary in this home, so I was excited to see if they could live up to my expectations with these two new products meant for spreading and finishing dishes; not for baking.

The new Kerrygold butters are made from the milk of the same grass fed cows that produce their regular European-style butter; milking the cows in the summer produces a product with a higher milkfat content which helps create these soft butters.  An all natural churning process allows for the soft and spreadable consistency without additives or stabilizers; a win for all of us in my book.

Recently I created a topping using the Naturally Softer Irish Butter which I combined with  toasted walnuts, cranberries, orange zest and brown sugar and used for a breakfast dish of French Toast. I wanted to also develop something using the Reduced Fat Irish Butter with ingredients that did not add any significant calories to the end result. Browning the butter, caramelizing some shallots and adding sage added huge flavor while still keeping the product one that could be labeled reduced fat. The biscuits? I made no such commitment!

I admit some of my inspiration to go this direction is because I am feeling a little melancholy that I won’t be making my Maple Bacon Roasted Turkey this year that is rubbed with sage butter. I have a sage bush in my herb garden that is over 20 years old and it’s singular purpose for existing is to flavor that amazing bird. I felt an obligation…yes, to sage (no I do not talk to the plant silly!).

I spent yesterday making Cranberry Liqueur, Cider Syrup (coming Friday in a cocktail) and pretty much knew what direction I was going with the sage. Still when I tweeted that I would be making something with it, it was fun to see the conversation that ensued and to have my one dilemma absolutely answered for me. What to serve my sage/onion butter on. I owe a debt of gratitude to @TheRunawaySpoon for suggesting her Pumpkin Sage biscuits. So PERFECT! Thanks Run (I know…probably not your first name but we haven’t actually been formally introduced and I don’t know your name!). I cut back on the sage in the biscuits a bit since I was going to be serving them with the sage butter; without that addition I would absolutely follow her original recipe. So very holiday perfect.

I received these butters at no cost from Kerrygold. All recipes and commentary are mine.