Though I once asked a woman at a counter of one of the small Russian markets for her suggestion on kvass and she told me: “We have from Ukraine, Lithuania, all over…but, I like this one (points to one), it is Russian!” 
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Next time try Bordier Butter
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I’ve never once bought or considered buying flavored butter. What’s this about?
I do like making my own compound butter but what do you like from them ?
That’s the one I was trying to remember and order. Oops
I’m a fan of the espellette and the yuzu butters. I actually use them to sous vide my vegetables. And the plain Bordier is amazing with fresh bread. I would probably bake with the butter you bought, and use the Bordier to eat/spread on things. Just a personal preference.
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@ebethsdad, @Nemroz, @Jase, @JThur01, thank you all for these recommendations! My mind is blown I’ve never heard of these places or products. I can’t wait to check them out.
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I ain’t that fancy. Our baking butter is simple block of butter I get from my butchers
My sister said the same thing. She thinks French butter is too greasy for everyday use. 
What’s your reason?
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European cultured butter enhances the flavor and taste of your baked goods a la Chaumont croissants. Compare that next to an American butter croissant…you would get more flavor. And there’s something to European butter having a higher butterfat content, too…I’m not a prolific baker and don’t know all the science behind it.
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Definitely not all butter is equal in flavor and fat content. I can’t remember the sources for this so I may be wrong but European and Irish butter (Kerry Gold at least) have higher fat contents which are great for flavor and softer texture but definitely have to be accounted for.
Anecdotally, I’ve made chicken liver mousse pate from Kerry Gold and found the texture too loose compared to the conventional Costco butter even after refrigerating. To reach pretty far back to another source, Julia Child recommended using butter and shortening in her pâte brisée because American butter resulted in too tough a crust or something. I thought that would check out if American butter had a lower fat content because it would theoretically have a higher water content which would develop gluten and make the crust tough (as opposed to shortening, which is pure fat).
Anyway, TL;DR is that when I’ve bought European butters I tend just eat them as butter, not bake with them or use in something where texture is important. Obviously it can be done but you might have to retool a recipe slightly to account for differences in the product.
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That’s what FTC does.
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never heard of
It’s great. I use it to sous vide vegetables and fish…and it’s a great finishing butter.
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I think America’s Test Kitchen (back when it was under Kimball) actually did a short talk about the difference in European vs. American butter. And here’s a quick article:
What's the Difference Between European and American Butter? | The Kitchn.
Yup, European def has higher butterfat content but apparently also has added cultures (or is allowed to ferment) to develop more flavor.
@ebethsdad would prob know way more about this than would I, but part of the reason for favoring different types of fat is b/c the fats (butter, shortening, lard) have varying levels of workability at different temps, and that variation can affect the final product (flaky vs. tender). Kenji Lopez-Alt explains it here: Easy Pie Dough (Crust) Recipe (warning: a very long article). Lard actually works the best, apparently. Butter, IMHO, is a bit of a PITA in a pie crust. I think I must’ve tried some shortening once, and that was… weird.
And even the Republique pie illustrates this. The crust for the mango/passionfruit, if you look closely, has FANTASTIC lamination. Very flaky. Not very tender, though.
I don’t quite understand Lopez-Alt’s discussion of the flour/fat paste, but I have a vague recollection that my trying it did result in a slightly better crust. I place the blame on my lame food processor.
Back on-topic. 
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You are correct in the higher butterfat of European butter, generally around 83%, and 80% American butter. There are exceptions; Straus butter comes in around 85%, as does a small company from Texas whose name I have forgotten. More American dairies are putting out higher butterfat; Plugra has for years, and the venerable Land O’ Lakes has a “European” style butter.
As to the merits of each opinions vary. In “baking at Republique” Margarita Manzke has specific recommendations for which recipes work with American butter and which require European butter. On the other hand Stella Parks, seriouseats.com’s pastry wizard, formulates her recipes for unsalted American butter only. I recall, but could not find, an article in which she compared butters for baking and decided that Trader Joe’s organic unsalted butter worked and tasted better than any others.
You are partially correct in your Julia Child memory. She recommends adding a little shortening to pate brisee because of the hard wheat used in American flours as opposed to European ones. She doesn’t mention butter but your assumption makes sense.
As to which to use for what I haven’t found that much difference in most baking efforts. When making croissants, biscuits, or puff pastry if I have European butter I will use that, but they taste great with anything (except margarine which I detest). Things like pie crusts and cakes I have had good results with both. For cooking American butter is fine except for sauces like Hollandaise where butter is the primary ingredient. For the table hands down I prefer European. Sorry for the wordy response.
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I’m probably the last person that should complain about wordy responses. Thanks for the information, @paranoidgarliclover and @ebethsdad!
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You were on topic - I just didn’t tell you. Last year I tried to get Hillary to stock leaf lard at Epicurus. At that time the only place in LA I could find it was Surfa’s, and you had to render it yourself. For some reason she didn’t do it, and I got some from Amazon, but I will remind her next time I go in. I still use Julia’s technique of adding a little fat to the butter in my pie crust, but I use leaf lard instead of shortening.
So tangentially you were on topic, and I can assure you Hilary, and Eric as well would be delighted to see us obsessing about the finer points of butter. They love butter!
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There’s also Tashkent a block north on Laurel Canyon from Odessa
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Thank you! I’m writing all these down an going to hit them up all at once.
Found the rare 1lb chub of Vermont Creamery butter for 15$ at Farmshop at the country mart my personal favorite American butter for baking or eating. They’ve done a really nice job of covering it into a mini market including new shelving where the seating used to be for the restaurant. Gloves are provided at the entrance and are mandatory.
I do wish Echire was easier to find locally
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