the peche - Home

Disclosure: This post is about butter. Free butter we received. And love. And winning $1500. Maybe. Hopefully. Probably not.

Kerrygold is a company we love with big hearts. We are (un)patiently waiting for them to launch their #Butterlove t-shirt. They played a key role in all of our Pity Parties (congratulations if you have no idea what those are). They’ve invited us to a little St. Patrick’s Day get together in NYC earlier this year. The food was spectacular, and Karen walked out of there with a laundry basket full (not exactly true) of cheese and butter, including a preview of two new butters they were testing. We may have also harassed their representative who showed up at Big Summer Potluck, attempting to force him to hand over his leftover cheese from earlier in the day. He said there wasn’t any left. We maybe called him horrible names, but we said it out of love.

So when Kerrygold contacted us and said they wanted to send, for free, those two butters we tried earlier this year, we said, “Yes and yes.” When they said that we could win $1500 if we came up with a super incredible way to use their butters, we wept silent tears of butter joy. Then they said a bunch of other bloggers are getting the very same butters and the chance to win the cash. Will we win? Probably not, but we did get free butter. And free Kerrygold butter = winning.

Our first entry into the Thunderdome of ButterLove is Fresh Pineapple and Toasted Coconut Kerrygold Reduced Fat Butter served over Carrot Cake pancakes.

First, how we got to the compound butter concoction. We love carrot cake pancakes from The Bongo Room in Chicago. We’ve tried several recipes over the years to see if we could approximate the Sunday morning guilty pleasures we used to enjoy more than 10 years ago. Nothing was quite right, usually because the pineapple caramelized too far into charred territory.

What we craved was fresh and bright pineapple playing against the deep roasted coconut flavor that’s in our favorite carrot cake recipe. What better to hold it all together than Kerrygold’s Reduced Fat Butter? Even if we weren’t in a competition, we’d tell you this butter tastes like full fat, so rich and creamy that it feels a little naughty going in for another knife dip or twelve into the butter tub. But with 25% less fat than regular butter and 50% less sodium, we weren’t missing a single calorie or bit of salt (OK, we wouldn't say it like that if we weren't in a contest. We would say, "The butter tastes really good, and it's got less fat in it. Which means you can use the amount you really want to use on top of those pancakes because KG figured out how to reduce the calories and still make it taste good"). Sometimes you want to indulge, and Sunday morning is the perfect time for us to enjoy the things we love the most. Not having to feel guilty after breakfast gives us another reason to love Kerrygold.

Now the pancakes. We loved the spice mixture in Macheesmo’s Carrot Cake Pancakes. We tend to like our carrot cake a little aggressive on the spice, so we cranked it up even more. If you like perfectly balanced spice, use Macheesmo’s recipe. If you like your mouth kicked around the block, try ours. Life is full of choices...this time, you win either way because these pancakes remind us exactly of The Bongo Room’s pancakes we miss so much. These pancakes aren’t too sweet, so you need a hit of syrup and the butter to make it all work just right.

The combination of the hot carrot cake pancakes, warm maple syrup, and the pineapple coconut butter was just the best damn way to start a Sunday. Our kids laughing, syrup in the girls’ hair as it hung down in their eyes, their noses an inch away from the pancakes. Our son asking if anyone had more pineapple to share. The butter melting down into every bite.

Perfect. And no regrets.

Just a lot of happy.

Pineapple & Toasted Coconut Butter Made with Kerrygold Reduced Fat Butter

4 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut
4 tablespoons diced fresh pineapple
½ cup Kerrygold Reduced Fat Butter

First, toast the coconut. Heat your oven to 350. Spread the coconut out into a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Watch the coconut carefully. It’s a matter of seconds between happiness and burnt dreams.

Let the coconut cool. Dice the pineapple.

In a small bowl, combine the cooled coconut, diced pineapple, and Kerrygold Reduced Fat Butter. With the back of a large spoon, press the ingredients together until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use. Our butter lasted three days refrigerated. Then it was gone.

Carrot Cake Pancakes adapted from Macheesmo

2 cups all-purpose whole wheat flour (you can substitute white flour if that’s all you have)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups carrots, grated (we did super tiny shreds on our box grater)
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cups milk
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted (use regular Kerrygold here, as the two new butters aren't meant for baking)

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

An additional 2 tablespoons unsalted butter for frying pancakes. We used regular Kerrygold here.

Maple syrup
Pineapple & Toasted Coconut Butter Made with Kerrygold Reduced Fat Butter (recipe above)

In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients, plus the carrots.

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk until combined.

Pour the egg and milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

Heat a griddle over medium high heat. Melt the extra 2 tablespoons of butter. Now, pancake size is a very personal choice, and we are not here to judge you. Cook your pancake until golden brown. Telling you to flip your pancake over seems both obvious and condescending, so do what feels right to you if you want to cook both sides.

Serve your pancakes with maple syrup and a mountain of that butter.