“This butter will change your life.”
That’s the very compelling, totally un-ironic sign you’ll find on the cheese and butter display at Diablo Foods, an iconic family-owned supermarket in Lafayette, California.
As we all prepare for Thanksgiving, who wouldn’t want to try out a bit of “life changing” butter?
The butter in question is Beurre de Baratte, a French creation made by churning cream in the old-fashioned way. First, milk is collected from grazing cattle in Normandy. Then, the cream is churned in a wooden butter churn before being formed by hand into wheels of butter.
France is known for its cheeses, but the country’s obsession with fine food and quality dairy means they make some amazing butters, too.
This specific butter comes from Rodolphe Le Meunier, the 2007 Best Cheesemonger in France. For a country with hundreds of varieties of cheese, that’s quite a high honor.
Another thing that makes this butter special is the way it’s salted. Diablo Foods’ life changing butter is salted with Fleur Del Sel, a very special, flaky sea salt that’s often gathered by hand in France.
All that combines to make a butter that Diablo Foods feels is worth promoting with a special sign, and that will elevate their customers’ meals.
We tried it, and it is indeed delicious butter. The butter has a deep yellow color, likely from the pasture-grazing cattle, and a cheese-like, rich flavor. It’s dense, but you can let it come to room temperature before spreading it on some California sourdough or, to be really authentic, a baguette.
There’s no guarantee that Diablo Foods has this butter in stock at any given time, as it can sell out. Stop by and see if they have any, though. Your Thanksgiving guests will be grateful, and make walk away as new people, if the supermarket’s sign is to be believed!
