Flavored Butter Recipes (or compound butters) are a really easy and simple way to dress up a meal and impress your guests. They take only a few minutes to whip up and it’s so easy to customize them to a flavor that compliments your meal. I almost always have one or two flavored butters in the fridge. Honey Pumpkin Butter is always served with warm rolls on Thanksgiving and I always keep some Herb Butter around in the summer to slather on grilled corn.
Today I’m just going to go over some compound butter basics, and provide you with some of my favorite flavor inspirations, so you can start creating your own delicious flavored butters!
To start you will need:
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter (salted works too, just be sure to taste it before adding additional salt), softened
- 1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (or 1 -2 tsp dried herbs)
OR
1/4 cup fresh fruit, gently crushed - Salt & Pepper
- Optional: 1 Tablespoon Honey OR 1 Tablespoon Lemon OR 1 clove garlic, chopped
While your butter softens begin gathering the rest of your ingredients. Herbs and fruit make great additions. So do honey, chopped garlic or lemon. Grab some salt and pepper too. Think about combinations you already enjoy – in the fall sage, lemon and thyme are delicious. In the summer I love using basil and lemon or honey.
For each stick of butter you’ll want 1-2 Tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs (1 – 2 tsp of dried herbs) or 1/4 cup fresh fruit. When using lemon or honey I usually start with 1 Tablespoon per stick of butter. Finely chop any fresh herbs or gently crush any fresh fruit.
Place the softened butter in a bowl along with the ingredients of your choice.
Using a potato masher, combine all of the ingredients well. In a pinch you can even use a fork.
Place a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and scoop the mixed butter into the center. Gently roll and shape the butter into a log, then twist the end tightly. Placing a piece of aluminum foil under the plastic wrap can help to shape the butter if your find it too soft and difficult. Place the butter in the fridge until firm.
Here are some of my favorite combinations:
Herb Butter: Delicious on just about anything – especially sweet corn, steak and freshly baked bread.
1 stick softened butter
1/4 cup of fresh parsley and basil, finely chopped
salt & pepper
Lemon Thyme Butter: Try this one on roasted carrots or sweet corn!
1 stick softened butter
5-6 sprigs thyme, stems removed
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt & Pepper
Raspberry Honey Butter: Delicious on bread or muffins.
1 stick softened butter
1/4 cup fresh raspberries, crushed
2 Tbs Honey
Raspberry Mint: A delicious and refreshing summer combination.
1 stick softened butter
1/4 cup fresh raspberries, crushed
4 mint leaves, finely chopped
(sometimes I add a little honey, sometimes I leave as is)
Honey Butter: Simple and delicious on bread or toast!
1 stick softened butter
2 – 3 Tablespoons honey
Experiment with your own favorite flavors. Butters with herbs or honey will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, or you can wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag and freeze for a couple of months. Butters with lemon or fresh fruit are best consumed in 2 -3 days.
I’m always trying to come up with new combinations, head down to the comments and let me know what your favorites are!
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