The kind of butter you’re using can make or break your dish. Regardless of how you’re planning to use it - as a flavoring agent, a spread, a topping, a baking ingredient, or for cooking - gourmet butter, made with high-quality cream from cows raised in a good environment, will always amplify the flavor of your dish or pastry up a few notches, at least.
Gourmet-quality butter is smooth, with strong creaminess to its rich flavor. It’s this kind of butter that inspired the descriptive “buttery”. If unsalted, it has a subtle but noticeable sweetness to the taste, while salted butter adds a touch of extra savoriness.
Cultured butter is a little different from regular butter, made with cream that has been left to ferment first. It has a more complex flavor, fermentation adding tanginess and nuttiness to the already rich creamy taste. Cultured butter adds deepness to the flavor of dishes and pastries, making a particular stand out of those that call for a lot of butter, like shortbread and butter tarts.