Definition

Noun: A compound butter sauce made by creaming butter with finely chopped parsley and tarragon, and often flavored with beef extract (like glace de viande or meat glaze), lemon juice, and sometimes white wine. It is typically served warm over grilled or poached fish and seafood.

Usage

"Colbert butter" is an uncountable noun. It refers to the prepared sauce as a whole. It is used as a direct object (e.g., "prepare the colbert butter") or as part of a prepositional phrase describing what something is served with (e.g., "sole with colbert butter").

Examples

• The chef's signature dish is grilled lobster tail with a rich colbert butter.
• To make the sauce, you must whisk the reduced wine and lemon juice into the colbert butter until emulsified.
• The recipe calls for two tablespoons of colbert butter to be placed on top of each fillet just before serving.

Advanced Usage

• Classical French Cuisine: In classical French cooking, "colbert butter" is a specific (compound butter) named after Jean-Baptiste Colbert. It is a defining component of dishes like (breaded and fried sole).
• Preparation Note: While the core definition involves creaming butter with herbs and beef extract, traditional preparation often involves reducing white wine and lemon juice, then mounting the butter into this reduction to create a light, flavorful sauce rather than a simple softened compound butter.

Variants and Related Words

• Beurre Colbert: The French term for colbert butter.
• Compound Butter: The general category of flavored butters to which colbert butter belongs.
• Maître d'hôtel Butter: Another classic compound butter, typically with parsley and lemon, but without tarragon or beef extract.

Synonyms

• Beurre Colbert (direct French synonym)
• Colbert sauce (less common, but used interchangeably when referring to the sauced version)

Related Phrases

• À la Colbert: A culinary term meaning "in the style of Colbert," describing dishes, especially fish, that are prepared with or served with colbert butter. (e.g., "eggs à la Colbert").
• Sole Colbert: A classic dish where a whole sole is breaded, fried, and served with colbert butter and a garnish of lemon and parsley.

Noun

1. butter creamed with parsley and tarragon and beef extract