This past holiday season we were in the kitchen more and more. Some times we were in the "test kitchen" mode for Wisteria Bakehaus (www.wisteriabakehaus.com) and some of the time we were creating menu items for our own use. One thing that continued to resurface was the idea of compound butters for meat and fish dishes, gift giving and for baked goods! It was neat to see how some compound butters would/could be used for multiple items. My two favorites were a garlic and rosemary butter and of course on the opposite spectrum, a lemon honey butter!
This is a simple recipe that I found on the FoodNetwork website (www.foodnetwork.com) I have altered it a few different ways based on what herbs were available and what the use was intended. A quick alternative to this process is to purchase flavored oils (i.e. rosemary oil, garlic oil, etc.) But, I must add that it is neat to see some of the fine chopped herbs present in the butter concoctions!
Ingredients
• 1 pound butter
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sage, chopped
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
•
Hardware:
• Dough scraper
• Standing mixer
• Parchment paper or plastic wrap
Directions
Chop the butter into uniform chunks using the dough scraper.
Place the oil into the food processor and add the chives. Process until the chives are finely chopped. Add the remaining herbs and blend until the herbs have colored the oil. Using the whisk attachment, whip the butter in the mixer's work bowl at medium speed until it softens and lightens in color, about 5 to 7 minutes.
