Sunday Butter: Umeboshi

salt-pickled plum butter and crumpets

After eating and cooking thousands of meals across the globe, I have landed upon a singular truth - nothing beats bread & butter.

Butter is a blank canvas. A beautiful white space in which you may paint your strange desires, utilize wild ingredients, and work within the season.

I will share my favorite butter recipes and bread pairings every week. No measuring, no long pre-amble, just the best combinations. Please enjoy.

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Cultured Umeboshi Butter

The Elements

• Cultured Butter (at room temperature)

• Umeboshi (salt-pickled plum)*

• Finishing Salt (preferably fleur de sel)

• Pairing: Crumpets (soft and large)

The Guide

Remove the pits and tear (by hand) the umeboshi. Combine the butter and umeboshi in a bowl. Smash and mix with a spoon or fork. Keep adding umeboshi until you’ve reached a desired level of salty/sourness and the butter has turned a light shade of pinkish-purple. Add salt sparingly, remembering that umeboshi is preserved in salt.

Toast the crumpets. Spread that butter on thick. Enjoy.

Quick Notes

Umeboshi can be purchased at most Japanese markets and specialty stores. You can also practice your preservation game and make umeboshi at home (with patience!)

Leave your butter out overnight for a well-tempered result. The perfectly “tempered” butter should be bendy and flexibly, but not break (too cold) nor melt (too warm) in your hands.

If you can’t find cultured butter, everything’s going to be okay. Use regular (high-quality) butter. Use vegan butter (I recommend Violife).