In case you aren’t losing precious hours of sleep by falling down the rabbit hole that is the endless stream of 15-second videos on TikTok, you may not in the loop on the latest food trend: “Butter Boards”. You might be thinking, “A butter board…is that a board made of butter? Is it a group of seasoned businesspeople representing the churned dairy industry?”
No, dear reader, a “butter board” is like a hybrid of a charcuterie board and a bread & butter service.
This post is sponsored by the LCBO.
I had the pleasure of preparing this Butter Board on CTV Ottawa Morning Live to share some of my tips on how to create your own butter board at home.
Serving Boards & Cheese Knives
Smear a couple of sticks of softened butter onto a beautiful wooden serving platter (the same sort of thing you’d use for a charcuterie board) and top it with fresh fruit, honey/maple syrup, jam, nuts, soft cheeses, briny bites like olives, fresh herbs, spices, edible flowers, or whatever else your heart desires. Serve it with warmed slices of your favourite bread and dig in!
On September 16th, recipe developer Justine Doiron posted a video on her TikTok account saying she wanted to make “butter boards” the next charcuterie board. The original recipe concept comes from Joshua McFadden’s 2017 book Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables.
Great Books for Building Beautiful Boards
In the less than 2 weeks since Justine made her original post, the video has amassed more than 8 million views on TikTok and countless other creators have entered the chat with their unique flavour combinations and butter board compositions.
As a food and drink creator, I felt compelled to join in the fun and am sharing my own butter board inspiration with you, along with some fantastic wine pairing suggestions from the delicious selection of VQA wines available at the LCBO.
VQA stands for the Vintners Quality Alliance. The VQA is an independent regulatory body that sets the standards for quality grape growing and winemaking in Ontario. As a regulatory agency, VQA Ontario is responsible for maintaining the integrity of regional wine appellations and ensuring rigorous winemaking standards.
Every VQA wine shows where the grapes are grown – look for it between the VQA letters on the label and all are 100% grown and crafted in Ontario so you know it’s an authentic local wine.
Supporting and sampling local has never been more important than it is in the post-pandemic context. Local winemakers pour their hearts into creating beautifully crafted wines that celebrate our terroir and communicate a specific sense of place. There are more than 17,000 acres dedicated to wine growing in Ontario, 3 appellations (Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore, and Price Edward County), and 11 sub-appellations.
You may be surprised to learn that the LCBO carries more than 400 VQA wines, meaning Ontario really is “yours to discover”. Three of my favourite VQA wines available at the LCBO are:
- Flat Rock Pinot Noir with its flavours of berry preserves, herbs, blood orange and watermelon. It works well with grilled salmon or with veal in a red wine reduction.
- Inniskillin Pinot Noir VQA has a ruby red colour; lifted aromas of smoky oak, black plum reduction, nuts, earthy with a touch of spice; extra dry, medium bodied. Showing good varietal character. This wine pairs perfectly with grilled salmon or roast turkey.
- The grapes for Château des Charmes Barrel Fermented Chardonnay VQA are hand-selected and sourced exclusively from their vineyards. Light golden in colour with aromas of pear, vanilla, yellow plum, herbs and butter. Rich, creamy texture fills the palate, with a bright note of acidity that adds balance. The rich fruit flavours persist on the lengthy finish. This is a beautiful complementary pairing for the butter board I’ve created for this post!
Visit your nearest LCBO retail location or LCBO.com for more Ontario VQA wines and pairing recommendations.
For my butter board, I wanted to amplify the aromas of the Château des Charmes Barrel Fermented Chardonnay VQA by slathering my board with decadent European-style butter (a cultured butter that has been churned longer to achieve at least 82% butterfat) which has a richer flavour and creamier texture than normal butter. I then dusted the butter with flaky Maldon sea salt, heaps of lemon zest, freshly sliced pears, black walnuts in honey, and a sprinkling of fresh herbs.
I’ve served it alongside warmed slices of grainy bread from my favourite Ottawa bakery, Bread & Sons located on downtown Bank Street.
Show me your take on the butter board and your favourite Ontario VQA wine pairing on Instagram by tagging @tasteandtipple and using #tasteandtipple #butterboard.
Sage, Pear & Honey Butter Board
Dive into the latest food trend by preparing this beautiful autumnal butter board. Softened European-style butter creates the foundation for this snack, topped with flaky sea salt, lemon zest, walnuts in honey, fried sage, and sliced pears.
- 2 sticks European-style salted butter
- 1 tbsp flaky sea salt
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 3 tbsp walnuts in honey
- 1 pear, thinly sliced
- 10 sage leaves, fried
- 12 slices grainy bread, toasted
- 10 sage leaves
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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Using an offset spatula or cheese knife, smear butter onto a small wooden serving board, until completely covered.
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Sprinkle flaky sea salt and lemon zest on top of the butter board.
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Drizzle with walnuts in honey. Scatter fried sage leaves, distributing evenly across the board. Top with sliced pear.
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Serve with toasted, grainy bread of your choosing.
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Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add oil.
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Add sage leaves to the pan, flipping after 1-2 minutes, until crispy. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before using.
