Three Words: Crispy Ham Butter
Words: Jenn Rice | @jennricewrites
Photos & Recipe: Stacey Sprenz | @ssprenzphoto
Editor: Michelle Webb | @cheeseshopnc
Photos and recipe by Stacey Sprenz.
If you haven’t played around with compound butter yet, we’ll let you in on the secret: it’s incredibly easy. And if you know anything about us, it’s that we are butter-obsessed and love any opportunity to re-introduce our readers to cultured butter (if you’re more of a classroom-style learner, consider our Butter & Bubbles class on 9/21).
Anyway, this month, we’re exploring the simple yet decadent indulgence that is compound butter. Compound butter (beurre composé in French) is softened butter whipped with ingredients of your choice, re-formed into the shape of your desire, and chilled until firm. It can be sweet, savory, or herbaceous— dealer’s choice. You can even freeze it and pop it out on a whim to enhance any eating scenario, whether it’s a cheese board spread or a last-minute dinner.
And don’t worry, we’d never judge you for smacking a slab of cultured butter on the table and sticking a little knife into it for spreading on fancy crackers.
And don’t we just love a fancy cracker?
(We would judge you, however, for serving Land O’Lakes or any other entry-level sweet cream varietal).
Behold the Fancy Cracker
The fancy cracker—the bite-size cousin to ‘fancy toast’—is the kind of snack that screams, ‘I spent hours making this,’ when in fact, it probably took 20 minutes max. Plus, it makes you feel like you’ve got your life together, even if you’re still in your pajamas at 3 p.m. with a dinner party in less than three hours.
Stacey's recipe transforms this luxurious, Italian import, Delitia’s Butter of Parma into a rich, umami-packed punch by blending it with crispy Prosciutto di Parma. Yes, both products are from the same region in Italy, making them a natural pair. This butter is one of my favorites and a cult favorite at The Cheese Shop– it’s made using the same milk and strict standards that go into creating massive wheels of authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano.
It’s creamy, a little sweet, and nutty, and has a lightness to it that sets it apart from the French cultured butter set. Stacey highly recommends unsalted butter here since the prosciutto adds plenty. If you’re looking for domestic, unsalted butter, The Cheese Shop now offers Minerva Dairy Amish Butter, clocking in at 85% milk fat — the highest of all cultured butters.
Photos and recipe by Stacey Sprenz
When the crispy ham is added to the mix, we achieve low-fuss PRS (party-ready snack) status. To balance out the savory, we add a smidge of the Brooklyn-made The Jam Stand’s Fig Tamarind Jam and each ingredient is layered onto a Rustic Bakery rosemary cracker. When choosing the perfect ‘fancy cracker’ vessel, we insist on a slightly herbal to neutral flavor (sea salt, rosemary, and garlic are fine, but not much more than that) and a sturdy, bite-size cracker (avoid flatbreads, breadsticks, etc.).
Compounding Benefits
Not only is this butter incredibly simple, it’s unmatched in its versatility. When nibbling on this delightful concoction, we imagined putting it on warm bread, grits, or toast. Cook any egg or vegetable in it. Let it melt atop a juicy steak or on a baked potato. Drop it in the rice cooker, on pasta, or in mashed potatoes. Smear on your waffles and watch it melt perfectly into the squares. Roasted oysters? Yes, please. French fries and champagne? Mais oui. You get the point.
Here are a few crucial compound butter tips:
DON’T: Use butter sticks. Put down the 4-pack of domestic ‘sweet cream’ butter before we judge you. It’s just not going to taste as good. Cultured butter only, since they taste much better and have higher fat content.
DO: Use quality ingredients. If you’re in the Triangle, pop by The Cheese Shop for Prosciutto di Parma, Delitia Butter de Parma, and Rustic Bakery crackers.
Finally, this is just a little reminder from us Wedgewords gals that sometimes the simplest things can be the best. This recipe is essentially three ingredients: pig, fig, and butter, and in its simplicity, it can be added to, melted on top of, or mixed in combination with dozens of other culinary delights. Plus, if you’re not into ham or meat, consider this recipe a template for your own combinations — try anchovies, herbs, spices, or sweets that might go well together.
Stay tuned for our September musings, when we revert back to the world of cheese and take the world’s best feta to even greater heights.
Grab a Wedgewords
Recipe Kit
Grab all the ingredients for Crispy Ham Butter in our online shop or grab a recipe kit with butter, prosciutto, jam & crackers.
$32 for the kit for pick up starting Thurs, 8.29.
Recipe
Fancy Crackers: Crispy Ham Butter & Fig Jam
(Makes 40-44 crackers)
Ingredients
8 oz - softened unsalted cultured butter (Delitia Butter of Parma, Minerva Amish Butter)
6 oz Thin sliced Greci & Folanzi 24 Month Prosciutto di Parma
1 box of Rustic Bakery Olive Oil & Sea Salt or Rosemary Flatbread Bites
⅓ to ½ jar of fig jam (10 oz) (we highly recommend The Jam Stand’s Tamarind Fig Jam)
3-4 fresh figs sliced into very thin wedges (optional)
1 piping bag or sandwich bag to pipe mixture on crackers*
Instructions
Chop and cook the prosciutto. Chop the ham into small pieces. Place in a skillet on medium heat. Once the fat starts to render, turn the heat down to medium-low. Continue to cook and stir occasionally until the prosciutto is crispy, about 10-15 minutes. Spread the crispy prosciutto on a sheet pan or large plate to cool. Once cooled, finely chop into very small bits.
Combine butter and prosciutto. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the softened butter and the prosciutto.
Prepare crackers. For casual consumption, spread the butter on a cracker. If you’re looking for a more refined presentation, pipe* about 1 teaspoon of butter onto each cracker in a spiral, add a slice of fresh fig and pea-sized amount of jam to each cracker. Arrange on a plate and serve at room temperature.
* Piping hack: If you do not have a piping bag handy, do not fret. Grab a sandwich bag, freezer bag, or whatever you have in the house, and grab a jar, large cup, or coffee mug. Fold the bag over the jar and place one of the bottom corners in the center of the jar. Spoon the mixture into the bag and push down with a spoon until the bottom corner is completely filled. Twist the bag and push with your hands until mixture is tight and ready to pipe. Cut a small hole (¼” or smaller) in the corner of the bag and start piping. Do the same for the fig jam in a separate bag.
