We’ve all been hypnotized by the parade of viral butter boards all over Tik Tok and Instagram. I have been taken hold by the trend and think it is absolutely fantastic. Anything on a cute board and garnished with bits and bites is a winner in my book!
What is a butter board?
In short, a really aesthetic way to display butter and butter accessories. It can be savory or sweet, just as long as you’ve swirled it over a flat surface and sprinkled it with your favorite flavors, you’ve got yourself a butter board.
I think this trend works with any spreadable base, like farmer’s cheese.
The un butter part comes in for my friends who have a lactose sensitivity and a butter board is an automatic bad time. Farmer’s cheese is naturally 99% lactose free and the folks at Lifeway Kefir make it using their old world recipe, packing in additional live and active cultures along with an impressive 13g of protein.
What is Farmer Cheese?
Depending on where you’re from you may call it: twaróg or syr, and have probably enjoyed it at the breakfast table, inside a savory dumpling or part of any other number of dishes.
Farmer’s cheese is an acid set cheese, which allows the curds to separate from the whey. The curds are then collected and drained, resulting a creamy spreadable cheese that is tangy with a round creamy sweetness you get from a quality diary product.
But,I have to say it again, a dairy product that is 99% lactose free, that’s Lifeway Farmer Cheese!
Growing up we ate farmer cheese, often, especially for breakfast or an after school snack with honey or jam. Maybe a tea biscuit or cookie would join the party, but nothing especially innovative.
The best part is that farmer cheese doesn’t need much, the taste is creamy and slightly tart and just goes so well with a simple drizzle of honey just as much as it goes along with more savory ingredients like tomato or eggplant.
The Best Brunch (un) Butter Board
Okay, why is this the best brunch, not quite butter board? It has all the sexy eye appeal of a butter board but with farmer’s cheese. Replacing regular everyday jam is a mixture of roasted sweet seasonal pears, jammy plums, crispy salty walnuts and crackly bits of fragrant sage to make it everything you want to spread on a bread or your carb of choice.
You are going to be hooked.
You can make this ahead of time and do a quick reheat before serving. You can portion it out for yourself for throughout the week. This is ideal if you are looking to control your sugar intake and cannot find a suitable jam or marmalade substitute. It doesn’t have to be a board but it is definitely more fun as a butter board.
Pear and Plum Jammy Compote Topping
Pears, end of summer plums, dried tart cherries are all baked off with brown sugar and warm spices to top off whipped farmer’s cheese. These are the aromas that kick off fall and winter baking. A nice change from the usual apple desserts to add into the rotation.
Use this as
Brunch item on a buffet
Sweet and light snack for movie watching
Make ahead breakfast
Healthy after school snack
If you find yourself without access to plums , leave them out. Another option is to add frozen cranberries, red currant or raspberries for that tart flavor and jammy color, mid winter greys need.
Bonus I’ll show you how to get this done in your oven and air fryer. The air fryer being one of the best things to happen to kitchen appliances since the dishwasher.
Ingredients:
1 container 16oz Lifeway Farmer Cheese
2/3 cup non diary whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla sugar
3 grates of nutmeg
3 small pears, quartered
4 small plums, quartered or optionally 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, red currant or cranberries
2 whole small cinnamon sticks
1 clove
2 tbsp dried tart cherries
2 tbsp brown sugar
Juice of 1 large orange, about 1/4 cup
1/2 cup water
2 tsp corn starch
Kosher salt for seasoning
Method:
Whipped Farmer’s Cheese Base
Empty one full container of Lifeway Farmer Cheese into a large mixing bowl
Add 2/3 cups non diary creamer, vanilla sugar and nutmeg
Nutmeg is a great addition to dairy. Too much nutmeg can be unpleasant and overpowering but a few almost invisible pinches give diary products an earthy sweetness. The combination of nutmeg and milk is also said to have de stressing effects. If you don’ t have nutmeg available leave it out, the spices in the fruit compote will compensate, but ideally give it a try next time!
Mix until well combined and spreadable with a hand mixer.
Conventional Oven:
Arrange all fruits in an oven safe bake dish
Sprinkle with brown sugar along with dried tart cherries and mix well
Pour over orange juice and 1/4 cup water
reserve remaining 1/4 cup water to mix with corn starch
Place into 375F oven for 25 minutes uncovered
Remove from oven and pour in cornstarch mixture, shake fruits until combined and bake for 8 additional minutes at 425F
Airfryer:
Arrange all fruits in an air fryer safe dish
Sprinkle with brown sugar along with dried tart cherries and mix well
Pour over orange juice
Set airfryer to 325F for 10minutes, remove and mix at 5 minute mark
Stir in remaining cornstarch mixture and return for 6 minutes at 275F until fruit juices have thickened
Assemble:
Get your favorite wooden board, line it with a piece of parchment. Arrange cookie, crackers and fresh fruit around the edge of the parchment.
Spread over the whipped farmer cheese, creating a slight rise on either side to contain the jammy fruit mixture.
Ladle in fruits, sprinkle with walnuts and decorate with crispy sage ( optional but highly recommended).
Dig in.
Note for individual portions:
Keep whipped farmer cheese separate in an air tight container for up to 4 days.
Fruits will keep refrigerated for 4 days as well.
Combine before eating.
The Wonky Stove 