Three Compound Butters – Three flavors of compound butter… Roasted Serrano-Shallot; Garlic-Herb; and Strawberry-Honey Butter
When I made homemade butter a couple of months ago, I thought it would be really fun to have some flavored versions. So, I’m finally getting around to making those flavored compound butters. I used store-bought unsalted butter for each of the compound butters because there wasn’t really that much of a difference in the taste to warrant the extra labor.
Also, you may notice that I used different salts in each butter; don’t get too hung up on this part. If all you have is sea salt or kosher salt, those will work just fine in each one. I used different ones to mix up the flavors a little, and to add a little pink color to the strawberry butter.
I went with small batches of each flavor so that there wouldn’t be too much flavored butter sitting around needing to be used. And, I wouldn’t be so worried about all those butter calories.
For tasting purposes, I made a simple French bread. I recommend trying a few spreads like this at a dinner party or family gathering. It was really fun, and we really liked trying the different flavors.
Roasted Chile-Shallot Compound Butter
The spicy one… this one was my favorite of the three. I was a little concerned that it would be too spicy and therefore, possibly a little weird. But, the sweetness of the roasted chile came out and blended perfectly with the shallot. Use this spread on cornbread for a Southwest kick. Try it on top of a grilled halibut. Mix it into some veggies. Try it on grilled corn on the cob.
The Roasted Serrano Shallot Butter with little flecks of chiles throughout
Roasted Chile-Shallot Compound Butter
Ingredients
- 1 Serrano chile
- 1 small shallot
- 1/8 teaspoon Fleur de sel or Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 stick 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- Toast the Serrano chile and the shallot in a dry cast iron skillet until they blacken on all sides, about 10 minutes (the shallot may need to be taken out before the Serrano). Allow the chile to cool, and remove the peel (it should pretty much just slip right off. But, if there are little parts with peel still on them, don't worry, it'll be fine.) Remove the stem end from the chile and cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and the white membranes from inside the chile.
- Place the roasted chile, the roasted shallot, salt, olive oil, and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until all ingredients are chopped and well combined.
- Let the butter stand, covered, in a cool place for 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Garlic-Herb Compound Butter
The classic one… garlic and herbs, what could be more traditional? This one was great the next day; the flavors had a chance to combine and open up. This would be great over a steak or a piece of chicken. It would also be fabulous over grilled corn on the cob. I might try mixing it with a little cream cheese and spreading it over a bagel.
Garlic Herb Compound Butter, fresh and filled with herbs from the garden. Try adding basil or tarragon as well.
Garlic-Herb Compound Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons chives
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 stick 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- Place the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with some kosher salt. Secure the top of the foil to make a packet around the garlic. Place the packet in a 350 degree oven (I love the toaster oven for this), and bake for about 30 minutes until garlic is soft and golden. Remove from oven, and allow to cool.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine roasted garlic, scraping oil and salt into the food processor as well, along with the remaining ingredients. Pulse until all ingredients are chopped and well combined.
- Let the butter stand, covered, in a cool place for 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Strawberry-Honey Butter
Strawberry-Honey Butter, not as pretty as the others, but mighty tasty
The sweet one… This one never quite came together for me. The flavor was great. Sweet strawberry butter. Yum. But, it was clumpy. No matter what I tried or how long a mixed it. At one point I got all the butter to form a clump making all the strawberry liquid separate out. Maybe there was too much liquid for the butter to absorb. Maybe I didn’t cook the strawberries long enough to get the liquid out. Oh well, at least it tasted good, and when it was spread on the French bread, it didn’t really matter what it looked like.
This would be great on a strawberry shortcake. Bake the buttermilk biscuits, split in half, and spread strawberry honey butter over so that it gets all melty. Then top with some macerated strawberries and some freshly whipped cream. (please pardon my drool.) Or, you could smear this on freshly made cornbread. Use it on muffins or toast for breakfast.
Adapted from Gourmet
Strawberry-Honey Butter
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries hulled
- 2 teaspoons mild-flavored honey
- 1/8 teaspoon pink Himalayan Sea Salt
- 1/2 stick 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
Instructions
- In a food processor purée the strawberries and force the purée through a fine sieve into a saucepan. Add the honey and boil the mixture, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until it's thickened. Let the strawberry mixture cool to room temperature. Season with salt.
- In a food processor or stand mixer, cream together the butter, the oil, and the strawberry puree until it's blended. Beat the mixture for several minutes, until the butter becomes smooth and creamy. Let the butter stand, covered, in a cool place for 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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