It’s that time of year when everyone seems to be in the south of France (I mean, what the hell do I need to do to be one of these people?!), gallivanting about in sundresses with a rosé IV stuck in their arm from yacht party to yacht party. (Disclaimer: I work in advertising and it happens to be the Cannes award festival this week…so that’s maybe why you don’t know someone jet-setting off to the French Riviera right now.)

But it’s ok, because that’s actually how I live my summer, only I do it in sticky Brooklyn. Well…I guess I also do it on LBI just about every weekend too, so I should probably shut up about how “not spoiled” I am. (Disclaimer #2: I’m currently sitting on a roof deck drinking rosé. I just felt icky, not telling you all that.)

The point is, although I’m not actually in the south of France and I never have been, it is possible to make believe, and often, food makes that easy. The same night I make that killer kale, farro, & prosciutto salad, I made butter-dipped radishes as an hors d’oeuvres. It was all very Euro.

My last night as a resident of Bushwick, I went out for dinner with a friend in the neighborhood to a little French inspired joint. Besides the unlimited mussels and carafe of I wine I got for $20 (why haven’t I been back to Le Garage yet???), we also shared a starter of butter-dipped radishes, a très French snack. Now, I’m usually accustomed to a dish of room-temperature, softened butter, with radishes and a pile of flaky salt on the side. Perfect! It’s all you need! But! At Le Garage (and as I’ve discovered since searching on the internet, other restaurants), they serve you a sort of butter-glazed radish atop a pile of flaky salt and toasted sesame seeds. Just. So. Good.

With the abundance of radishes at the farmer’s market, a friend coming over for dinner, and months of not closing this recipe link on my server, I decided it was time to try out this recipe for myself.

^ Not the radishes I buttered, but another gorgeous variety from the market.

It was a little tricky. I slowly melted the butter, but it did break, so I put it back in the fridge for a while and went back at it after about an hour. I think the key is to whisk the butter while it tempers. The good news is, the butter is forgiving.

I double-dipped each radish in the butter before putting them in the fridge to set, but I really think it only needs one dip. Two dips gave me a very thick layer, and dare I say, led to almost too much butter. Next time I make these, I will do one dip and I will leave more of the radish greens in tact on to help the dipping and snacking process.

Right now, I have the beach breeze on my back (I’m sorry I’m a brat), the sun on my face (I’m sorry I’m a brat) and a sweating glass of rosé to my right (I’m sorry I’m a brat). Maybe I’ll go put those notes into practice. After all, all I need is a butter-dipped radish, and I’m in Provence.

You can find the recipe for Butter-Dipped Radishes here. I’ve slipped back into A Pinch of Summer mode, and I’m afraid I just can’t find it in me to copy the recipe directly, so I might as well send you straight to Bon Appetit for butter…I’m sorry, better instructions than I could give you right now. (Again, I’m so so sorry, I know I’m obnoxious.)

Cheers and À bientôt!