Really Good Table Butter

[Diane L.]

I have started searching for the perfect table butter, and have been totally overwhelmed by the selections at the gourmet shops and dairys around town. Can anyone recommend a really nice butter that's perfect with warm crusty bread ?

[Lucho]

Look for french butter, from Normandie. Any brand.
If you're lucky to find a non pasteurized butter, go for it. They don't know how to do less than perfect butter.

[joanek]

The Washington Post food section did a taste test of european style butters last spring.
The article is no longer on their free website, but here are the winners. In alpha order, with the a short take on the copy. (and I'll presume that if we can find these in DC, you shouldn't have a problem finding them in NYC.)

EXCEPTIONAL

D'ISIGNY :sweet unsalsted from Normandy.

LE GALL: From Brittany region of France, has crunchy sea salt mixed through.

PRESIDENT: The testers' favorite, delicious, unsalted, made in the Normandy region of France.

VERMONT BUTTER & CHEESE CO: Very thick and sweet with a fresh-from- the-farm flavor, just salty enough.

ACCEPTABLE
BURRO OCCELLI: This lightly salted Italian butter has the aroma and taste of a fresh cow cheese.

CELLES SUR BELLE: From France, this unsalted butter was pale, faint of flavor with a slight bitter finish.

ECHIRE: French. Both salted and unsalted versions were mild, sweet and creamy but not worth the price.

KELLER'S: Pennsylvania brand, also known as Plugra. Mild flavor, a tad greasy on the tongue.

LAND O LAKES ULTRA CREAMY: Creamy, in both its salted and unsalted forms. Like many high-fat butters, it had a greasy and sticky consistency.

FORGETTABLE
KERRYGOLD: Irish, tasted only of salt.

LURPAK: Danish, both salted and unsalted were greasy and lacked flavor.

WUTHRICH: Wisconsin, greasy and bland.

[Sandra Levine]

Land O Lakes has started producing an "ultra creamy" style butter that is similar to European butters in texture, i.e., softer and more spreadable even when cold, but made with fresh milk, rather than cultured milk

Keller's (lformerly known as Plugra) is also made in the European style.

If you like the taste of the cultured milk butters, by all means, buy the Normandy butter.

[patterson]

I have been trying to find out where to buy the Normandy butter. Can you help? I've heard it's hard to buy in North America. I checked the internet and the cheapest was $40 (Dean & Delucca was selling it & I'm not sure if it is really Normandy butter or their version of it) for what appeared to be a fairly large amount.

[Only Butter]

I've been able to find the Normandy butter at both Zabar's and Whole Foods.

[Wondering]

I've been looking to buy a case of Normandy Butter and want to know where I can get some also so if you find out any info try and pass it my way.

[Cindy]

I have found Normandy butter for the low price of $4.99Lb plus S&H check at, [e-mail], that is their E-mail address. I am just now checking in to it myself. Good Luck, Cindy

[mdc210]

I like Danish Lurpak, nice butter

[inae]

There are very few that are worth their price, especially the much ballyhooed cultured butters, both domestic and imported. Although I've found Land O'Lakes to be more than adequate, a brand name that begins with "Vermont" and is sold in 8 oz. cylinders is genuinely special. It's creamy without being greasy and it's pleasantly tangy without the repulsive off taste of the ineptly crafted cultured butters. I've found it at Zabar's, Dean and Deluca and Whole Foods.

[Win (Boston)]

Vermont Butter and Cheese Company makes a butter that comes very close to my childhood memories of my grandmother's homemade butter. Yup, she had a cow just for that purpose.

Their other products are excellent too.

Link: http://www.vtbutterandcheeseco.com/product/butter.html

Image: http://www.vtbutterandcheeseco.com/pr...