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Recipe developer and food blogger Justine Doiron started a craze this fall when she posted a video of herself assembling a gorgeous butter board on her justine_snacks TikTok account. Butter boards—apparently invented by chef Joshua McFadden—are literally that: boards of thickly spread room temperature butter topped with whatever garnishes you fancy. Justine’s original version, with herbs, red onion, lemon zest and edible flowers, has gotten more than eight million views! Since then, people have come up with countless variations, some with fruits and nuts, others with Asian flavors or seasonal themes, etc. Her goal of making butter boards “the next charcuterie board” is well underway.
Here, Justine shares two options that are perfect for the holiday season. The candied nut and kumquat board is a “fun, sweeter take.” The brown butter one requires a little extra prep, but neither needs more than 15 minutes or so to assemble. The best part is you can switch up the ingredients to whatever you like—have fun with it! Serve them with your favorite accoutrements, such as crusty bread, toast points, crackers, veggies, etc.
For another popular recipe from Justine, check out her Kale Tahini Pasta.
Ingredients For the Candied Nut Board:
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature1/3 cup candied nuts of choice (Justine prefers honey or maple pecans, walnuts or almonds)4 fresh kumquats, thinly sliced1 lemon, for zestingFlaky salt, as desiredA few sprigs of mint
For the Brown Butter Board:
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) salted butter, for browning8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature3 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds1 teaspoon chili powder1 teaspoon sumac½ teaspoon red chili flakes1 to 2 tablespoons raw honeyFlaky salt, as desiredA couple sprigs of thyme
Yield Preparation
For the candied nut board, evenly layer the butter on a large board. Chop up the candied nuts until no piece is bigger than the tip of a pencil eraser. Sprinkle this on top of the butter and then evenly scatter the kumquat slices on top. Generously zest the lemon on top of the butter and nuts and sprinkle on flaky salt. Use small mint leaves to garnish around the kumquats.
For the brown butter board, add the 4 tablespoons butter to a small pan over low heat. Melt the butter low and slow until it starts to foam slightly and the milk solids begin to brown. When the butter reaches a golden brown color, remove it from the heat. Continue to stir off the heat until the butter is a deep brown. Drain off 2 tablespoons of the clarified butter and move the rest of the mixture to a bowl to chill.
When the browned butter is cool, add it to the 8 tablespoons of room temperature butter and either cream together with a mixer or combine well with a wooden spoon. You’ll be left with softened, slightly speckled butter.
Evenly layer the butter on a large board. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds, chili powder, sumac and chili flakes. Drizzle with the honey and flaky salt. Use thyme leaves to garnish.