Cooking School – Flavoured Butter

By / Food / July 21st, 2009 / Like

A pat of butter melting over hot corn on the cob or spread on fresh made bread is a taste of heaven. But mix in a few simple ingredients and you have a recipe for pure decadence. Flavoured butter, aka compound butter, seems to make everything more elegant. It’s quick and easy to pull together, and can be made from practically anything in your fridge, pantry or garden.

The most important thing to remember about making flavoured butter is to use the freshest ingredients possible. Start with the highest quality, unsalted butter you can find.

Leave the butter at room temperature until it’s soft enough to cream. Beat it by hand with a wooden spoon or use an electric mixer, whichever is most comfortable. Once the butter is light and fluffy, toss in your favourite herbs, spices or nuts. If you’d like, the butter can be sweetened to taste with honey or maple syrup. Stir until well combined. Let the butter rest for about an hour so the flavours have a chance to blend.

If you’re after a more elegant presentation, place the butter on plastic wrap and roll it into a sausage shape. Refrigerate it, and when it’s firm, slice it into rounds. Or flatten the butter between two sheets of wax paper. Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness and refrigerate. Use small cookie cutters to cut the butter into fun or fancy shapes. To make sure that your flavoured butter spreads easily, bring it to room temperature before serving.

The following ingredients make great flavourings for butter.

• fresh herbs
• shallots
• minced garlic
• chili powder
• grated citrus zest
• chopped almonds
• anchovy paste

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosemary Mantini has always loved words. When she isn't working as the Associate Editor at Tidings Magazine, she's helping others achieve their writing dreams, and sometimes she even relaxes with a good book and a glass of wine.

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