Bill Thompson’s Smoked Maple Butter

Ingredients:
8 Tablespoons of butter (1 stick)
2 Tablespoons Smoked Maple Syrup

1. Melt 1 stick of butter in a stainless steel bowl.
   
2. Add 2 tablespoons of smoked maple syrup.
   
3. Beat ingredients together while chilling bowl in a water and ice bath. The butter will re-crystallize and form a kind of smoky maple frosting. This sounds like a lot of work but the results are amazing.
   

Bill sells quail filled with breadcrumb stuffing and this butter spread on top. When you cook the bird in the oven, the butter melts, the bird sizzles, and the smoky notes fill the air. This butter is great to pack with you if you can keep it cool. Try it on a freshly caught brook trout before slipping it into your cast iron pan over a stream-side fire.