Beurre Café de Paris

Ansjovis is not only used as a main part in a recipe, it's been used as some sort of salty addition too, many times in meatdishes. It's a bit like using fish sauce in oriental (meat)dishes; the fish is not relevant, the salty part of the fish sauce is what they look for.

Also, there is a very famous recipe called "beurre Café de Paris". Sounds french but it isn't. It's a complex butter composition with many ingredients, invented and used since decennia in the brasserie Café de Paris in Geneva, Swiss! Many try to reproduce it, even in France, but the original composition still remains a secret. One thing is certain; it contains ansjovis.

I found this recipe but have never made it myself. I prefer a simpler to make beurre maître d'hôtel (butter, fines herbes, garlic..) on my grilled meat.

There's the Café de Paris website; http://www.cafe-de-paris.ch/

Beurre "Café de Paris" - a replica of the original

500 gr butter at room temperature

To be cut finely first; 4 ansjovis filets from a tin - 1 tbsp capers - 1 small onion or shallot - 2 tbsp parcely - 2 tbsp chives - 1 tbsp dill - 2 cloves of garlic - 1/2 green bell pepper

Other ingredients; juice of 1/2 lemon - 1 teaspoon lemon zeste - 1 teaspoon orange zeste - pinch of dried marjoram - pinch of dried thyme - pinch of rozemary - 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder - 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon - 5 freshly ground black pepper corns - 1/2 teaspoon curry powder - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce - pinch of cayenne pepper - 1 tbsp cognac - 1 tbsp madeira wine - 1 tbsp ketchup

Mix everything -except the butter- in a blender and set aside overnight to "merge the tastes". Next day; add the soft butter, the mixture and salt to taste.

Put a tbsp of this cold butter mixture on grilled red meat such as entrecöte, served with good fries of course.