Simple Brown Butter Tomatoes Recipe

Butter is notoriously rich and delicious all on its own, but brown butter takes things to new heights. A traditional element of French cuisine, brown butter (known as beurre noisette in French) has found its way into more everyday recipes across the pond. What makes it so special? It's cooked far past melted butter, so the water content evaporates away, leaving the milk solids to brown. Both the aroma and the flavor is amped up to a complex, nutty level that immediately enhances just about any food that it touches.

Such a flavorful condiment can be used to dress the simplest dishes with great effect. This brown butter tomatoes recipe from developer Michelle Bottalico is a great example. The ingredients couldn't be simpler, with thickly sliced Beefsteak tomatoes being the star of the show and pantry staples rounding out the list. Enjoy these brown butter tomatoes right away while the butter is nice and warm. Don't forget a few slices of crusty bread to mop up the rich, bold sauce, which is a mix of the brown butter and a little tomato juice from the ripe tomatoes. 

For this recipe, you will need medium ripe tomatoes; we recommend a larger, meatier variety like beefsteak. You will also need cubed unsalted butter, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and crusty bread for serving.

Cut the tomatoes in thick slices just under ⅜-inch wide.

Divide the slices among 4 plates.

Place the butter cubes in a small stainless steel skillet or saucepan over medium heat.

Once the butter is melted, whisk or stir continuously for 5-7 minutes. The butter will bubble and foam and some milk solids will sink to the bottom. Remove the pan from the heat when the butter turns a rich light brown color and develops an intense aroma.

Immediately spoon ¼ of the brown butter over each plate of tomato slices. Do not leave the butter in the pan or it will burn.

Season each plate with 1 pinch of salt and 3 twists of freshly ground black pepper, or adjust the salt and pepper quantities to taste. Serve immediately with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

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This is a good recipe to break out fancier kinds of salt and pepper, so use freshly ground sea salt or pink salt and freshly ground mixed colorful peppercorns if desired. If you use salted butter, you won't need to add as much salt on top. Fresh herbs would be a welcome addition to these buttery tomatoes; basil, thyme, chives, oregano, or tarragon are good options.

This is an excellent recipe for heirloom tomatoes, which boast intense and juicy flavor profiles that will contrast well against the nutty brown butter. Their various shapes and colors also make for dazzling presentation. And while larger, meatier varieties form a thicker slab to hold the butter and provide a more substantial bite, smaller tomatoes are just as delicious when dressed in brown butter. They may give off more juices, so have your bread ready.

Brown butter is delicious in most recipes that would benefit from regular melted butter. The only difference is the dish will have a deeper, more caramelized flavor. To use brown butter as it's used in classic French dishes, serve it poured over fish, white meat, vegetables, or eggs. It's also an ingredient in French pastries like madeleines.

For pasta night, use brown butter as a simple sauce. Gnocchi, ravioli, and simple pasta dishes can be phenomenal when dressed with brown butter and herbs. In the same way, drizzle it over breakfast foods like pancakes and waffles or add it to the batter itself. Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, crab cakes, lobster, and dressings and sauces ranging from béchamel to Hollandaise can all benefit from the extra flavor boost of brown butter.

If you'd like to try using brown butter as a substitute for regular softened butter in buttercream frosting (a pro move), place it in the refrigerator to chill and solidify to a soft consistency before using.

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