Fashionistas know that an easy way to breathe new life into an old outfit is to add accessories. A chunky necklace, sparkly bracelet or colorful scarf can brighten up any little black dress. Think of Top Hat Gourmet Butters as the perfect culinary accessory.
Top Hat, a St. Louis-based company, produces four different flavors of finishing butters – two savory and two sweet. Its original product, a gourmet garlic butter, actually was developed years ago by William Schmeerbauch who ran a restaurant in South City. After the restaurant closed, the recipe languished in a box stored at the bottom of a closet. Years later, when Schmeerbauch rediscovered the box, he approached his son, Mike, with an idea to resurrect the butter recipe. And, as Mike put it, “How do you tell your 80-year-old father, ‘no?'” So, Mike combined forces with his two brothers and the family launched Top Hat Gourmet Butters in April 2010.
The garlic butter boasts a combination of more than a dozen herbs and spices. Toss a little dollop onto steamed veggies or melt some down and pour it over hot popcorn for a sophisticated treat. If the weather holds, you can sneak in a few more trips to the grill and try some of the gorgonzola butter on a smoky grilled strip steak. While the sweet offerings (mandarin orange and cinnamon honey) would be great smeared on your morning muffin, they also have applications on the savory side of things. Beurre blanc made with orange butter? Perfect with a mild white fish.
Just like a classic string of pearls, these butters, available at The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton, can add the perfect finishing touch to your meal.
– Shannon Parker
This article appears in Nov 1-30, 2010.