5 Tips for Dining Al Fresco with Majestic Butter

It’s time to break out the grill, dust off the outdoor furniture, set up that fire pit and movie protector in the backyard. Summer is here and it’s time to get out of the house. Especially if you live in a notoriously colder climate, this is your time of year. The best time of year to be outside as much as possible before going back into hibernation again for the winter. And there’s absolutely nothing better than pouring a glass of wine or a delicious cocktail and dining al fresco, at a restaurant or at home, with family and friends. 

So as you make your al fresco dinner party plans for the summer, be bold with your menu. There’s nothing more impressive than a beautiful outdoor spread with twinkle lights hanging, a refreshing cocktail in your hand and colorful and bold flavors on the table. Cooking with Majestic Butter in the summer will enhance the flavor profiles of your favorite summer dishes and leave your guests coming back for more. Here are our top five tips for boldly adding butter to your summer al fresco dining menus:

1. The key to grilling with butter is to know when to add it (and when not to). Butter is best used at the end of the grilling process due to its smoke point of about 350ºF. A smoke point is the temperature at which a product will begin to burn. Placed over higher heat, butter and certain oils will burn resulting in a less than ideal end product. This doesn’t mean that you should shy away from using better when grilling - it simply means that it’s best to brush it on once the food is just about done. Even if in a solid state, the butter will melt against the hot food to add a bold, rich flavor without burning. 
2. Grill veggies in butter by fashioning a tin-foil packet. An alternative to adding butter at the end is to toss veggies (or proteins) onto a sheet of aluminum foil, season as desired and throw in a few pats of Majestic Butter. Fold up the sides of the foil to close the packet and place it right on the grill. The vegetables will cook in the butter in the foil packet and prevent burning because it avoids direct contact with the heat. 
3. Compound butters to add major flavor to food after grilling. Now’s the time to put that herb garden to good use. If you’ve never made compound butter, this is your sign to give it a try. How? It’s simple - just soften a stick of Majestic butter, chop some fresh herbs (or dried) and mix them together. There are endless flavor combinations and here are a few of our favorite compound butter recipes. Add a pat of delicious herby butter atop a perfectly cooked steak, chicken breast or even burger and your taste buds will be singing.
4. Drizzle some toasty brown butter on summer pasta salads. A common misconception is thinking that brown butter can only be used for Fall recipes. We are here to report that this is not true. The nutty flavor of brown butter can be used all year around and we recommend replacing (or combining) that olive oil drizzle on pasta salad with brown butter. Making it is simple and toss it with your favorite noodle, toasted nuts, dried cranberries or cherries and some fresh herbs and voila! That’s one memorable summer pasta salad.
5. Make a juicy butter burger at home. A Wisconsin favorite, some may argue that a butter burger may just be the best burger you’ll ever eat. And it’s very easy to make a restaurant quality burger at home. The best way to make a butter burger is actually on the stovetop using a skillet or griddle, however, some flat top griddles can be put right on top of grill grates to make your burgers outside. We suggest using this recipe from The Cookie Rookie with Organic Majestic Butter for the best buttery burger result. 

Summer is now in full swing so let’s make the most of it with the bold flavor of Majestic Butter as the star of your cookouts.