ANDRÉ BARANOWSKITechniquesBeloved Butter PairingsSure, a drizzle of olive oil in your spring pea soup is swell, but when it comes to this bright-flavored dish, we think a pat of butter is even better; it gives the soup a rich, rounded texture.Methodically eating a steamed artichoke, dunking one leaf after another in melted butter and then scraping away the tender flesh with our teeth, is one of our favorite ways to celebrate spring; the butter complements the vegetable's earthiness and tames its astringency.Saucisson sec (or salami) and butter on a baguette, a bistro snack in France, is a revelatory combination for those unaccustomed to pairing butter with cured meat; the butter softens the meat's sharp flavors and adds another delicious dimension.Few dishes express the understated refinement of Italian cookery better than spaghetti with butter, grated parmigiano-reggiano, and black pepper; butter bridges the nutty-tasting cheese and the pepper's heat to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts.Woodsy-tasting morel mushrooms soak up butter like little sponges when the two ingredients are united in a saute pan. The mushrooms, in turn, release their juices in a deeply flavored sauce.ADVERTISEMENTADADIn the Netherlands and Indonesia (formerly a Dutch colony), white bread with butter and chocolate sprinkles is a favorite breakfast treat. The combination calls to mind a deconstructed pain au chocolat.Nothing satisfies quite like a generous smear of butter on a plain old saltine cracker; it's no-frills bliss.Keep ReadingPaneer Bhurji (Scrambled Paneer Curry)By ROMY GILL12 Spectacular Cake Recipes for the Holidays and BeyondBy FRANCES KIMChocolate Mesquite Cake with Café de Olla ButtercreamBy CRYSTAL KASSCarrot Sheet Cake with Dulce de Leche FrostingBy GABRIELLA MARTINEZChocolate and Coconut Tres Leches CakeBy BRYAN FORDRum Punch CakeBy PAOLA VELEZBánh Tai Heo (Vietnamese “Pig’s Ears” Cookies)By BEN MIMSPumpkin-Hazelnut SconesBy JODY EDDYToasted Coconut Meringue PieBy LINDA MELTONSee AllContinue to Next StoryADVERTISEMENTADAD