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Compound Butter

Compound Butter

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Do not go to the section of the market where they sell a little tub of premade compound butter.  Not only is it expensive, but usually it has also been oversalted.  Homemade compound butter is easy to make, less expensive, better for you, and it tastes better.  Compound butter is one of those simple but flavorful ways to help make a slice of piping hot cornbread just a little more impressive, or by taking a grilled piece of fish or meat to another level.  What I love most about compound butter is how creative I can get, from using fresh herbs to dark bourbons.  Go crazy.  Have fun.  Be creative and then impress your dining guests.

The key to a great compound butter is definitely the butter.  Don’t waste your time with those fake no-name kinds of butter;  you want to impress, so splurge a little and use a great high quality unsalted butter.  If I am making a savory butter, I season with salt, at the very end.  If it is a sweet butter, I just use a little more flavoring to make it a bit more intense.

I recently wrote a recipe for an event that Jacqueline Church is hosting this summer;  BBQ Bonanza 2011.  We had to write about a topic that is true to her heart;  sustainability.  That is sustainability at the grill.  For this recipe, I used a gorgeous piece of salmon that was just waiting to be grilled.  The quality was very good, and I wanted to keep it simple but refreshing.  I took one of my favorite ways of grilling salmon, simply stuffing a whole one with fresh herbs, butter, and white wine, and turned it into a compound butter.

For this particular compound butter recipe, I used fresh Italian basil, a little shallot, and a lot of lemon zest.  The salmon was simply seasoned with a little pepper and then grilled on a salt slab.  Right before serving, I topped the salmon with slices of this very refreshing compound butter.  The slow heat that was left in the grill as well as the smoke wrapped around the salmon and butter, creating a very moist and flavorful piece of fish.

Do you use compound butter?  If so, what is your favorite flavor combination?

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Compound Butter

* this recipe is for Basil Butter if you want to use another herb, omit the basil and substitute with 3 tablespoons of your favorite “fresh” herb.  As well you can opt to leave in the lemon and wine.

Ingredients:

1 stick high-quality unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup fresh basil, minced

1 lemon, zest only

1 small shallot, minced

1 tablespoon white wine, optional

kosher salt, to taste

How To:

In a small mixing bowl mash the butter with a fork, until creamy.
Add the seasonings.  Stir to combine.
Roll the butter into a log using parchment paper.
Put into the freezer for 30 minutes.
Slice into slices and put onto your favorite piece of grilled fish or meat.
 
A few of my favorite flavor combinations are:
  1. Lime zest with chipotle pepper served over chicken
  2. Blue cheese, with chopped porcini mushrooms, served with grilled steak
  3. Rosemary and orange zest served with lamb
  4. Cranberry and port served with pork
  5. Maple syrup and bourbon served with scones
  6. Honey, served with cornbread
  7. Blueberry and lemon zest, served with ricotta pancakes
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Stephanie @ 52 Kitchen Adventures

Tuesday 18th of September 2012

Thanks for sharing my garlic compound butter! It's so true - compound butters are so easy to make and SO much cheaper too. I love the garlic one on my blog but I can't wait to try some of yours. #1, 5, and 7 sound particularly delicious to me!

Jacqueline

Monday 17th of September 2012

Thanks for the shout out. We'll get the BBQ Bonanza rolling again next year. That compound butter and salmon look beautiful. Mouthwatering, actually~ ! Cheers, J

anna

Sunday 14th of August 2011

Garlic, for sure. Roasted garlic, too. I die... I'm thinking some dried cranberries and green onion or chives on a bagel. I was just at the store and I'm low on butter, damn!

Maris (In Good Taste)

Wednesday 10th of August 2011

I don't use compound butters but I think I might have to start!

athena

Wednesday 10th of August 2011

this is great and so simple. lovin' the back to basics posts!