This simple Maitre de Butter, or Hotel Butter as it is also known, is a foundation recipe that can turn the most basic meat, seafood, or vegetable preparation into a decadent and delicious meal. It will be one of the best secret weapons in your cooking arsenal – keto or otherwise!
Since this Hotel Butter is a foundation recipe that I’ll link back to from other recipes, I’ll give you a little history and FAQs about Maitre de Butter here in this post below. Please feel free to use the jump to recipe button if you’re already familiar with the ingredient!
What is Maitre de Butter and how do you use it?
Maitre de butter refers to a compound butter that the head waiter (or “Maitre de” in French) would prepare tableside and add to finished dishes in high end hotel restaurants – which is why it’s also sometimes called hotel butter.
It’s common to add a cold disk of hotel butter to steak, fish, chicken, or vegetables right before serving. The butter melts into the warm protein or vegetable and creates a delicious finishing sauce.
How do you make it?
Making Maitre de Butter couldn’t be simpler. The most important thing is to use very soft butter, so that the ingredients can be easily and evenly mixed into it.
Once you’ve mixed the compound butter ingredients, you spread the butter onto a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap and roll it into a log.
Then freeze the log of hotel butter for at least one hour, and then slice off servings as needed. Easy peasy.
What are the ingredients in Maitre de Butter?
The classic ingredients used in hotel butter are:
- softened butter
- finely chopped fresh parsley
- salt & pepper
- lemon juice
There are some accepted additions that include:
- Worcestershire sauce
- lemon zest
- mustard
- shallots
- cayenne pepper
Personally, while it’s not traditional, I like to add minced garlic to mine, but I’ll give you the base maitre de butter recipe to start with and then you can decide what add-ins are your favorite – or if you prefer to keep to the classic.
So now you know what Maitre de Butter is, and how to make it and use it! 🙌🏻
As an added bonus, this hotel butter recipe is not just keto but also Squeaky Clean Keto and Whole30 compliant, so even if you’re eliminating some of your favorite foods during the cleanse, you don’t have to sacrifice flavor!
Because the carbs are so low, I would say you would also be safe adding this to some egg fast recipes, which will add some nice variety.
I’m going to give you a recipe that makes 10 servings using just 1 stick of butter – but I highly recommend doubling the compound butter recipe to keep in the freezer. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll want to put it on everything!
Some of my favorite ways to use this hotel butter is on a finished steak, a steaming pile of cooked broccoli or cauliflower, melted onto roasted shrimp or salmon, or smeared into clams on the half shell before they get topped with a chunk of bacon and go into the oven to become clams casino (definitely add the minced garlic if you go that route, it’s sooo good!)
Then call me because I want to come over! 😂
Maitre de Butter aka. Hotel Butter
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
A delicious compound butter flavored with lemon and parsley that complements steak, seafood, chicken, and vegetables! Low carb, keto, and gluten free.
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic – optional but recommended
Instructions
- Put the softened butter in a medium-sized bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
- Mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula.
- Place a 12 inch by 15 inch piece of plastic wrap on a cutting board.
- Spoon the butter mixture onto the plastic wrap and form into a log about 1 inch in diameter.
- Roll the butter log tightly in the plastic wrap and twist the ends.
- Freeze for 1 hour before slicing into 1/2 inch thick rounds for serving.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: condiments
- Method: mixing
- Cuisine: french
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 102
- Fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
Keywords: compound butter, hotel butter, maitre de butter