Brown is the new butter

I t’s a brown butter kind of fall.

That is to say, the nutty flavor and butterscotch aroma of butter cooked until it becomes hazelnut brown are turning up on more than a few dinner plates.

There’s nothing new about brown butter – known in French as beurre noisette. Making it is simple: Melt unsalted butter in a small saute pan over medium heat, cooking it until the water cooks off, then turn down the heat and continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the solids turn golden brown. The whisking ensures even browning. If you have a light-colored pan, that’s the one to use, as it makes it easy to see the browning.

That’s it.

Brown butter is fabulous spooned over roasted kabocha squash, drizzled over Brussels sprouts or steamed cauliflower, or stirred into mashed potatoes.

Add fresh sage, and it’s a great sauce for ravioli filled with pumpkin or butternut squash.

Fattening? Yes. But a little goes a long way.

A squeeze of lemon juice turns it into a wonderful sauce for fish. To make any delicate fish fillet or whole small fish “a la meuniere” (petrale sole, rex sole and trout are all ideal), coat the fish lightly with flour, saute it in a little butter and remove it to a platter. Pour out the butter in the pan, add fresh butter and cook, whisking until it’s brown butter. Whisk in a little lemon juice, pour it over the fish and you’ve got “a la meuniere.”

Or substitute vinegar for the lemon, add capers and call it an easy, snazzy dinner. (That’s a classic preparation for skate.)

On the sweet side, brown butter stirred into frosting is great for drizzling over cookies or into batters for quick breads. Use it in place of plain butter in the fruit fillings of apple or quince pies for added depth.

Scrape vanilla bean into the brown butter and spoon it over poached pears or baked apples.

Roasted kabocha squash with brown butter

1kabocha squash

1tablespoon canola oil

3/4cup pecan halves

1/4cup butter

1/4teaspoon sea salt

4teaspoons maple syrup

1teaspoon freshly ground

nutmeg

Fleur de sel

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash into quarters and scoop out the seeds. Brush the cut surfaces of squash with oil. Put the squash cut-side down on a foil-lined baking pan. Roast until the squash is fork tender, about 60 minutes.

Toast the pecans on a large baking pan until lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

In a small heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, whisking until the butter turns nut brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix the pecans with 1 teaspoon of the browned butter and the sea salt.

Heat the broiler. Turn the squash quarters upright with the skin side down. Drizzle each baked squash quarter with 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Put the squash under the broiler until the edges of the squash are slightly charred and the syrup has a nice glaze, 3 to 4 minutes.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the browned butter over each squash quarter, then sprinkle the nutmeg, toasted pecans and a little fleur de sel on the quarters and serve.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving: 346 calories; 4 grams protein; 21 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 30 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 30 mg. cholesterol; 109 mg. sodium.