The secrets of handmade butter from France and why Hong Kong’s top chefs love cooking with it
Beurre Bordier is a kitchen staple at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Petrus and Caprice in Hong Kong. At his base in Brittany, Jean-Yves Bordier explains the artisanal techniques that make his butter so delicious and sought after
Ahhhhh, butter. Slathered on a warm baguette, whisked in at the last minute to enrich a sauce, layered and folded into dough to create a flaky croissant, an essential ingredient in a decadent cake or pastry. It’s not the healthiest of fats, but few would deny it’s the tastiest.
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It can be salted or unsalted, whipped, clarified as ghee or even made from fermented (cultured) cream. One country that arguably knows and loves butter more than most is France, and when it comes to the very best, few can match Le Beurre Bordier, an artisanal producer in the charming Brittany seaside town of St Malo.
Jean-Yves Bordier’s distinctive, delicious handmade butter is sought out the world over. Hong Kong’s L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Caprice and Petrus are just a few of the high-end restaurants in Beurre Bordier’s global customer base.
Bordier is a charismatic, entertaining and marketing-savvy sort who made his butter one of France’s best known. One look at the videos on his website show that he’s not afraid of the camera. But there needs to be substance behind the show and Bordier has it in spades.
Bordier is the third generation in a family of fromagiers (cheesemongers). In 1985 he acquired a creamery, La Maison du Beurre, that was founded in 1927.
It’s the art of kneading butter that has helped guarantee the quality. It’s an age-old technique and tradition, one that imparts extra flavour and a noticeably smooth texture. A number of top chefs seem to agree, including Fabrice Vulin at the two Michelin star Tasting Room in Macau’s City of Dreams, a long-time fan of Bordier and his butter.
