Beurre Café de Paris (Cafe de Paris Butter)

If Beurre Maître d’Hôtel is a clean, minimalist sketch, then Beurre Café de Paris, also known as Cafe de Paris Butter, is a lush, maximalist oil painting. While both are compound butters, the similarities end at the base ingredient. Where the former is light and bright, Café de Paris is complex, savoury, and shrouded in the kind of culinary mystery that makes French gastronomy so enduring.

Cafe de Paris

The butter takes its name from the Café de Paris restaurant in Geneva, where, in the 1930s, it became a global sensation. The restaurant famously served only one main course: a ribeye steak doused in this complex, yellowish-green butter, served over a warmer to keep the sauce in a state of perpetual, creamy melt. To this day, the original Cafe de Paris Butter recipe is a guarded secret, rumoured to contain anywhere from twelve to thirty different ingredients.

What makes this butter legendary is its depth. It isn’t just a seasoning; it is a concentrated sauce in solid form. It balances the umami of anchovies, the tang of capers and Dijon Mustard, the sweetness of shallots, and a complex bouquet of herbs like tarragon and marjoram. Some versions even whisper of curry powder or cognac. Known for its special blend, Cafe de Paris Butter unfolds layers of flavour that evolve with every bite of the meat.

In a professional kitchen, this butter is the ultimate “cheat code.” It provides the complexity of a long-simmered sauce with the simple convenience of a cold slice. It represents the height of the Brasserie tradition—decadent, aromatic, and unashamedly rich. Furthermore, chefs often use Cafe de Paris Butter to elevate classic steak dishes.

The Recipe (Inspired Version)

Ingredients: If you’re making Cafe de Paris Butter at home, these are the essentials you’ll need:

• 225g (2 sticks) High-quality unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 small Shallot, minced very fine
• 1 clove Garlic, mashed into a paste
• 1 tsp Capers, rinsed and minced
• 2 Anchovy fillets, mashed into a paste
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Curry powder (mild)
• 1 tbsp Fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tsp Fresh tarragon, minced
• 1 tsp Fresh chives, snipped
• ½ tsp Paprika
• ½ tsp Lemon juice
• ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Pinch of salt and cayenne pepper

Instructions: To prepare your Cafe de Paris Butter, follow these simple steps:

1. The Base: Cream the softened butter in a bowl until light and airy.
2. The Flavour Bomb: Add the shallot, garlic, capers, anchovies, mustard, and curry powder. Incorporate thoroughly.
3. The Greenery: Fold in the parsley, tarragon, and chives along with the paprika and cayenne.
4. The Finish: Slowly stir in the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce until the butter is glossy and uniform.
5. Setting: Spoon onto parchment paper, roll into a log, and chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight to let the flavours marry).
6. The Service: Place a thick slice on a hot steak. For the authentic experience, place the steak on a warm platter so the Cafe de Paris Butter melts into a pool of golden sauce.