Cheesemaker, chef and culinary educator Sheana Davis has teamed up with her daughter Karina Davis, also a professional cheesemaker and educator, to author a new book, “Buttermonger.”

Pulling from decades of experience providing butter through Sheana’s catering company and retail shop The Epicurean Connection in Sonoma, California, the authors share more than 40 sweet, savory and novelty butter recipes in the book. The recipes range from making butter at home from cream and classic flavors like Lemon Dill
Butter, to artisan cheese, cocktail and vegan compound butters.
For example, Cedar Grove Butterkase Bacon Butter calls for adding Cedar Grove Butterkase Bacon Cheese with crispy bacon crumbles, chili flakes, Kosher salt and black pepper to an unsalted butter base. Bourbon Pecan Butter, suggested for use on pastries, combines butter with brown sugar, Bourbon, chopped pecans and nutmeg.

“For almost 30 years now, we have provided these butters through the catering company and retail shop, and my daughter grew up working in butter and cheese here,” Sheana notes in a “Letter to Readers” at the front of the book. “It has been wonderful to write this book as a mother and daughter team, as together we worked hard to create the recipes for you to enjoy.”

In addition to recipes, the book also includes a brief history of butter, explains various butter varieties and milk types, and gives tips on using and storing butter. It also highlights American artisan butters from Straus Family Creamery, Nordic Creamery, Clover Stornetta, Cabot Creamery, Vermont Creamery and Carr Valley.
 

An introduction to the book penned by Sid Cook, master cheesemaker and butter maker at Carr Valley Cheese, explains how his company started to make butter out of sheep, goat and cow cream as well as mixed cream butter.

“It was an interesting journey learning to work with non-traditional creams just as it was working with different milk types for cheese,” he says. “Sheana’s ‘Buttermonger’ will take you on that journey of butters, the subtleties in flavor, texture and mouthfeel. Enjoy the read.”