Colbert butter

9.9

A flavored butter made with parsley, tarragon, and beef extract served on meat

noun

Specialized

: mantequilla Colbert

The steak was served with a generous dollop of Colbert butter on top.

Examples

She prepared Colbert butter ahead of the dinner party to complement the roast beef.
To enhance the flavor, the chef added a slice of Colbert butter to the grilled chicken.
The chef prepared Colbert butter for the steak.
Have you ever tried Colbert butter with fish?
She prepared Colbert butter ahead of the dinner party to complement the roast beef.
The steak was served with a generous dollop of Colbert butter on top.
To enhance the flavor, the chef added a slice of Colbert butter to the grilled chicken.

Synonyms

Colbert

vsColbert butter

Specialized

9.9

A flavored butter made with parsley, tarragon, and beef for topping meat

is used also as a flavorful garnish and as a spooned sauce

Surface Forms

Colbert butter singular

Colbert butters plural

Morphology

Colbert + butter

This is a conventional culinary name (a named compound) whose specific ingredients (parsley, tarragon, beef extract) are not predictable from the constituent words; knowing 'butter' and seeing the proper-name modifier 'Colbert' does not allow a learner to infer the detailed recipe. Named food terms are language- and culture-specific, so a B1 learner who has not encountered the term before would not be able to derive its meaning from the parts.

Etymology

The compound Colbert butter may come from a French cook named Colbert who mixed soft butter with herbs and beef stock to make a rich, flavorful 'topping' for meat. That's why today Colbert butter means a seasoned butter used to finish steaks and roasts.