Is brown butter the new 'it' girl?

In 1977 everyone was eating pesto.

That's what Nora Ephron writes in "Heartburn," her bestselling novel based on her divorce from journalist Carl Bernstein.

"Pesto is the quiche of the seventies," the main character from the book recalls a friend saying.

"Why do I get pesto? Why do I think I'll like it? I keep trying to like it, like I have to like it," George tells Jerry and Elaine at dinner in the "Seinfeld" episode titled "The Busboy," which aired in 1991.

Jerry questions why George has to like pesto. "Everybody likes pesto. You walk into a restaurant, that's all you hear — pesto, pesto, pesto," George responds. "Where was pesto 10 years ago?"

And in the 2002 "Friends" episode titled "The One Where Joey Tells Rachel," Phoebe introduces Monica to a man she thinks could be Monica's soulmate. The two connect over food when he complains about a restaurant he and Phoebe just ate at.

"What is with all the sun-dried tomatoes at that place?" he says.

"I know!" Monica responds. "What is this, 1985?"

In 10 years I predict people might say something along the lines of: Remember in 2024 when we were browning all of our butter? Or: I couldn't have a chocolate chip cookie a decade ago without brown butter being a central theme.

That's because brown butter is everywhere I look right now. I'm seeing it in both sweet and savory recipes — from baked goods to pasta sauces, to roasting vegetables and scrambled eggs. Even Whole Foods and Starbucks have concocted their own brown butter cookie lattes.

So I'm officially declaring brown butter the next "it" girl, or this moment's big food trend.

For those who don't know what brown butter is, it's not to be confused with brown sugar or some sort of flavored cold butter spread. Brown butter is an experience that effortlessly elevates most dishes it's added to.

It's a technique that cooks butter down until it has a brown, nutty flavor to it. Butter has milk solids that, when cooked down, caramelize. And while it's technically a French technique (it's known in French as "beurre noisette," or hazelnut butter) it's actually less intimidating than it sounds and is a pretty easy extra step that adds a lot of complexity to the flavor.

To brown your butter, start by placing it over medium heat in a frying pan or skillet. This isn't a recipe you'll want to step away from, since the butter can turn to "ready" in a flash. You'll stir throughout the process with a rubber spatula, and eventually the butter will start to melt and then foam — that means it's working! You'll likely hear some crackles and pops. Once the foam starts to disappear, this is when timing is key. Soon after, you'll start to see golden liquid and brown specks at the bottom of the pan that lets you know it's ready, and you'll smell a toasted toffee scent. Immediately the pan from the heat to avoid burning it. It helps if you use a light-colored pan so you can see the changing colors.

Brown butter certainly isn't a new concept, but it is reaching renewed levels of popularity.

The New York Times wrote about brown butter back in 2002, detailing tips on perfecting the technique (use all your senses to know when it's done). That article also includes a recipe for an onion tart with a brown butter crust that sounds like a great addition to a fall dinner party.

I think it's fitting that brown butter must have reached some level of popularity in the 1990s and early 2000s because we're experiencing a renaissance of that era right now. From the return of Y2K fashion to eclectic home decor, trends really do always come back around — even with food, apparently. I think brown butter's resurgence also speaks to the current moment when people are yearning for something cozy and homey.

I've been trying out a few recipes that incorporate brown butter lately because, like most trends, they're popular for a reason — it's really good.

First of all, I've already been making these brown butter apple blondies from Sally's baking addictions for a couple of seasons already (my first introduction brown butter, actually). It really brings out a toffee flavor that makes them feel more decadent and pairs well with the dense chewiness of the bar.

For a savory option I tried Cafe Hallie's brown butter ricotta pasta sauce. It was quite good but maybe a little above my skill level (I burned the breadcrumbs), but again, browning the butter was the easiest part. It was like a cozier alfredo sauce with a warm, nutty undertone to it.

I also tried browning butter as a base for my scrambled eggs, topped with some sharp cheddar cheese, and paired with a pumpkin bagel and cream cheese. This was a really hearty fall breakfast, and I'd add more cheese to contrast the sweetness next time. It wasn't my favorite, but was a fun twist on an otherwise basic meal.

Finally, I tried another baked good and tried Easy Gay Oven's take on a scotcheroo. In addition to using brown butter, there was no peanut butter in these bars, and instead of Rice Krispies we used corn flakes, which honestly felt like a nice mix-up on the classic. These may be my go-to easy bar from here on out.

What did I learn from all of these recipes? First, that I don't know nearly as much as I think I do when it comes to cooking and baking. But also that browning butter was surprisingly the easiest task of the recipes. While it takes some focus and patience, it wasn't hard to master. And now it's got me dreaming up other things I can add it to — Thanksgiving classics, drizzled over cooked carrots, baked into a pie crust, or combined with sage in meatballs, perhaps?

There are a lot of other food trends that could maybe compete with the brown butter right now, like matcha or charcuterie boards. And like most trends, it will eventually lose its luster (I don't think people are clambering for avocado toast like they were in the 2010s). But brown butter feels different because it's so versatile and it's potential is nearly endless. And I think it's approaching it's peak just in time for fall.