This Stick of Fancy Butter Just Made Your Picnic Perfect

It all started a few years ago, when my friends Patrick and Julia showed up for a picnic potluck in Prospect Park with nothing but a baguette, a jar of anchovies, and a paper-wrapped block of Italian buffalo-milk butter.

There were plenty of great dishes at that picnic, but as soon as that fancy butter hit the picnic blanket, all the other offerings were pretty much forgotten. We slathered that butter thickly onto thin slices of baguette and topped each with an anchovy and the combo completely stole the spotlight. At the next picnic, Patrick and Julia kept the theme going, rolling in with a hefty half pound of French butter embossed with an image of a cow. After that day, it was official. Now, my crew understands that at every picnic, someone has to bring the fanciest butter they can find to be our designated Picnic Butter, the golden "sun" that our picnic solar system of cold wine, some kind of bread or cracker, and an assortment of toppings revolves around.

Picnic Butter is a real mood. It's a bold gesture of decadence, a vote of confidence in high-quality minimalism, and a declaration of love for everyone you share it with. It's also nearly effortless, so make it special. Picnic Butter shouldn't be just any stick of butter—go for a high-quality butter, preferably salted. Bonus points if it comes in adorable packaging from Europe that your friends have never seen. I usually stop by Eataly to pick out my Picnic Butter, but you can browse your local `gourmet food store or even your everyday grocery and see what jumps out at you. Remember that you're building your whole picnic around this fancy butter, so don't be afraid to spend a few more dollars than you'd usually spend on butter (for our ranking on wildly available salted butters, check out the results of this taste test.) Or get crafty and make your own. Once you've got your Picnic Butter, make sure it's at spreadable room temperature when you bring it out to the park or the beach or your backyard. Chances are it's hot enough out that all you have to do is carry it wherever you're going and it'll be good to go.

We tested 6 picnic blankets—from linen to wool, waterproof to machine washable—to find the blankets that will ensure you never need to get grass stains on your sheets again.

As to the rest of what goes in your picnic basket or bag...

• Don't forget a butter spreader. I have a vintage sliver-plated one I love to tote, but they have lightweight, picnic-friendly ones on Amazon, too.

• Slice your bread before you pack your picnic, or pack a mini cutting board and bread knife along with your loaf.

• Pack a little jar or tin of flaky salt. Or make mix of flaky salt and pepper or Aleppo-style pepper flakes.

• Pack a few additional toppings to go with your bread and butter. I like radishes, cucumbers, parsley, and marinated white anchovies (boquerones). You could also use tomatoes, prosciutto, smoked salmon, basil, and crunchy things like celery and daikon. Either thinly slice your veg before you go, or pack a knife and small cutting board.

• Don't forget a bottle of cold wine, and keep it cold and concealed for extra points.

Sure, you could enjoy Picnic Butter with a bunch of other picnic foods, but I encourage you to try the Picnic Butter Experience without other food distractions, or at least as its own separate course. That way you have plenty of time and focus available to have fun experimenting with topping each butter-slathered slice of bread with something different. And once you start getting too full for bread? Just switch to dipping your radishes and cucumbers straight into the butter and topping with a sprinkle of salt. No matter what you choose, always lean into Picnic Butter.

Originally Appeared on Epicurious