Compound Butter(s)

[Cerise]

Here is a collection I have put together over the years. Enjoy.

Compound Butter - Beurres Composés

The butter is typically softened, cut in half lengthwise, each half is then rolled in a mixture of selected flavorings, and each half is then left in a cylinder or log shape. Each log is then chilled or frozen to harden, so it can be sliced easily and served for a spreading or topping on foods, as a condiment, as an addition to sauces, to baste meats and vegetables as they are grilled or broiled, and as a flavored topping for chops, steaks or seafood; and used to finish a sauce. A specific recipe isn't really necessary.

Roasted Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Butter
3 cloves roasted garlic
3 oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves, drained and finely chopped
4 tbls (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Mash gently with a fork until thoroughly mixed. Transfer to a serving container and chill until firm. Alternatively, transfer the blended butter to a sheet of plastic wrap, cover, then form the butter into a log and chill.
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Lemon and Dill Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
Dill weed, to taste
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Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1-3 cloves minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder, adjust to taste
Fresh parsley, adjust to taste
Dried roasted red pepper, to taste (remove red pepper seeds)
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Beurre d'ail - Garlic Butter
4 cloves of garlic
1 stick (1/4-pound) unsalted butter, softened

Mash to 4 cloves of garlic to a pulp, using a mortar and pestle, or put them through a garlic press. Blend the garlic into the butter. Use immediately or roll into a log using waxed paper.

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Beurre de Citron - Lemon Butter
1 stick (1/4-pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 Tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel
Serve on vegetables, fish or chicken.
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Beurre à la Maître d'hotel - Lemon Parsley Butter
1 stick (1/4-pound) unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and white pepper

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Beurre d'estragon - Tarragon Butter
1 stick (1/4-pound) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves (blanch the leaves for 2 minutes in boiling water. Dry thoroughly)

Mix the whole tarragon leaveas with the butter. Chop the mixed butter and tarragon leaves and remix. This prevents the tarragon from turning dark. Roll into a log using plastic wrap. Use immediately or refrigerate for use in 1-2 days. Wrap the log in waxed paper, place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Delicious on hot grilled fish or vegetables.
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Beurre Marchand de Vins - Red Wine and Shallot Butter
1 cup red wine
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons concentrated beef or chicken stock
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 stick (1/4-pound) unsalted butter, softened

Put the wine, chopped shallot and stock into a saucepan and boil down to 1/4 cup. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Cool the mixture. Work the cooled wine reduction into the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Roll into a log using plastic wrap. Use immediately or refrigerate for use in 1-2 days. To freeze: Wrap the log in waxed paper, place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Delicious on grilled steaks
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Pistachio Herb Butter
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 Tbsp. butter, softened (NOT margarine)
Salt and pepper to taste
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GARLIC BUTTER:
Thoroughly combine 1 stick or 1/2 cup butter, softened, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, 1 garlic clove, mashed and salt to taste. Let stand for 30 minutes. Use for garlic bread.
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Chili Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
4-5 tsp. chili powder
1½ tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. pepper sauce
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Strawberry Butter
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
Fresh, strawberries, to taste
(hulled and halved)
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Classic Herb Butter
1 stick butter, softened
Black pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley
Fresh tarragon
Fresh thyme
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Orange Butter
1/2 cup softened butter
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp grated orange peel
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Roasted Red Pepper Butter
Makes about 1/2 cup
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Fresh minced parsley to taste
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
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Recipe variations for 1/2 cup of butter
Chili Butter
Add 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice, and 1 teaspoon pepper sauce to butter. This is divine on chicken breasts or grilled flank steak.

Herb Butter
Combine butter with ground black pepper, salt, and fresh mixed herbs, all to taste. Top steamed fish and vegetables.

Lemon Dill Butter
Mix 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest, and fresh dill weed to butter. Lemon dill butter is especially good on roasted salmon.

Black Olive Rosemary Butter
Add 2 tablespoons chopped black olives and 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary to butter. Try this on warm French bread or whipped into mashed potatoes.

Rosemary-Garlic
Combine butter with a pureed garlic clove and 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary. Serve with fresh rolls or smear over french bread.

 

[no mayonnaise]

Funny you posted that, your tarragon butter is similar to mine that I posted in the other compound butter thread on page 1 right now except I add a little lemon juice + zest since the stuff it goes on can usually benefit from the brightness in flavor.

Your recipes sound dank though, I'm gonna have to try a few. I love compound butters; they're a totally blank canvas and you can incorporate any flavor into them. I just thought up cranberry-honey-chipotle, wonder if that would be good on grilled things.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Buon Giorno,

Valuable information.

I rarely employ butter in my diet however, there are a couple of dishes I do use butter and thus, we have similar compound home made butter recipes.

Topaz had done a lovely pictorial on compound butter making back in April or so ...

Have nice Sunday.
Ciao, Margi.

 

[Harry Cobean]

caesar salad butter

caesar salad butter:
combine butter,grated parmesan,ground black pepper,anchovy paste,crushed garlic,grated lemon rind(no need for salt 'cos of the anchovy/parmesan)
use to top off cooked asparagus,brussels sprouts,peas,cabbage etc or chuck a chunk in with mixed peas,green beans,tenderstem broccoli & finely sliced leeks or shallots then cover & cook in the microwave

 

[no mayonnaise]

caesar salad butter:
combine butter,grated parmesan,ground black pepper,anchovy paste,crushed garlic,grated lemon rind(no need for salt 'cos of the anchovy/parmesan)
use to top off cooked asparagus,brussels sprouts,peas,cabbage etc or chuck a chunk in with mixed peas,green beans,tenderstem broccoli & finely sliced leeks or shallots then cover & cook in the microwave

Idea = Stolen

 

[Harry Cobean]

Idea = Stolen

no problemo mayo.....i sometimes zizz it up with a splash of worcestershire sauce too....lea & perrins of course what what!

 

[Cerise]

Funny you posted that, your tarragon butter is similar to mine that I posted in the other compound butter thread on page 1 right now except I add a little lemon juice + zest since the stuff it goes on can usually benefit from the brightness in flavor.

Your recipes sound dank though, I'm gonna have to try a few. I love compound butters; they're a totally blank canvas and you can incorporate any flavor into them. I just thought up cranberry-honey-chipotle, wonder if that would be good on grilled things.

Nice to "meet" you No Mayonnaise. Have not seen your thread. A DC member (roadfix) had some questions re cb, & I answered his query & wanted to share my collection.

I agree w/ adding citrus (lemon, lime, orange, etc) zest and/or juice to the mix. It is especially delicious on fish/seafood. The sweet butters (orange etc) pair nicely with pancakes, french toast etc.

Have you read my tips re adding fresh herbs?

Will look for your thread when I get a chance.

Re "Dank" - perhaps it has another meaning other than the one I am familar with - dark and moist. Please help me understand the terminology. Thank you for your reply & input.

 

[Cerise]

Buon Giorno,

Valuable information.

I rarely employ butter in my diet however, there are a couple of dishes I do use butter and thus, we have similar compound home made butter recipes.

Topaz had done a lovely pictorial on compound butter making back in April or so ...

Have nice Sunday.
Ciao, Margi.

Perhaps there is a language barrior here? You rarely employ butter, & have similar recipes. Can you share?

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Nice recipes Cerise!

 

[Chef Munky]

Cerise,

I appreciated your post. Your ideas have inspired me to try a few of them, incorporate your ideas into a pie crust. Now that would be a nice twist.

You have every right to post as you please here. It is a forum. To share ideas, recipes, techniques. Not all of us have all day to sit and memorize all posts made on a certain subject by other members.

Munky.

 

[Cerise]

Cerise,

I appreciated your post. Your ideas have inspired me to try a few of them, incorporate your ideas into a pie crust. Now that would be a nice twist.

You have every right to post as you please here. It is a forum. To share ideas, recipes, techniques. Not all of us have all day to sit and memorize all posts made on a certain subject by other members.

Munky.

Thank you, Munky.

 

[LPBeier]

Cerise, I am seeing the post for the first time right now and so haven't had the chance to reply. To have it be deleted because of a few posts you don't like would mean people like me don't get a chance to see your ideas.

I haven't used too many compound butters since culinary school but one of my favourites is blue cheese and rosemary on steak. I really like some of your ideas and will definitely give them a try.

I think what the others are trying to say is that someone DID recently start a thread on this topic, but I don't see them saying one is better than the other. It happens a lot (and has happened to me) that you don't know something has been posted. That doesn't make yours any less valuable.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Cerise,

I am writing in response to your post to me. I have stated that your post is of valuable information.

I had not wished to go into cow dairy product lactose intolerance, and thus, I have not employed very much butter in my predominately Mediterranean culinary style.

Since my Mom is Swiss French and my father was Italian, I had adopted Olive Oil as my main lard source. There are a few recipes that I do use butter however, as Evoo would not pair well with them.

I have some similar butters, and had posted one or two on a thread of Topaz´s when she had done her pictorial.

I apologise if I have offended you in anyway, however, that was never the intention.

Since it is already quite late in Madrid ( 20.00 hrs. ), I cannot post the butter recipes which are part of our family for many many years.

Cerise, being a journalist, I can see how much hard work has gone into your thread.

I just did not wish to go into a minor lactose intolerance, which has subsided quite sufficiently here in The Mediterranean, as I buy organic fed cow butter which did not exist when I had lived in San Francisco or Manhattan ...

Best of luck and your thread is a great reference encyclopedia of gourmet compound butters.

Thanks for your post.
Ciao.
Margaux Cintrano.

 

[Katie H]

Interesting thread, Cerise. I have't made any compound butters in a long time and, as a matter of fact, I'd forgotten about what a nice addition they are to many foods.

However, I rarely use butter in my cooking. Occasionally, but I mostly use olive oil, which I've been using for years.

As it turns out this thread is quite timely for me as my husband has a birthday next week and grilled steak is one of his favorites. I think he'd especially enjoy a little dab of the red wine and shallot butter with his "birthday" steak.

Thanks for reminding me of these tasty goodies.

P.S. If you could figure out how to make a compound "butter" out of bacon drippings, you'd have a southern following for sure. I may not use much butter, but there's always a big mug of bacon drippings in the refrigerator.

 

[Dawgluver]

These all look really good, Cerise! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Andy M.]

...P.S. If you could figure out how to make a compound "butter" out of bacon drippings, you'd have a southern following for sure. I may not use much butter, but there's always a big mug of bacon drippings in the refrigerator.

Are you kidding me!?!?! Bacon butter!

What could be better. Combining two fats should be no problem! Mix in a few bacon-friendly herbs or spices and you are set! You could even skip the butter and just make compound bacon fat!

 

[FrankZ]

...You could even skip the butter and just make compound bacon fat!

Andy,

You are a dangeorus man you know that?

 

[Zagut]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy M.
...You could even skip the butter and just make compound bacon fat!

"Andy,

You are a dangerous man you know that? "


But you can't go wrong with bacon.

Dangerous but smart.

 

[Andy M.]

Andy,

You are a dangeorus man you know that?

"Dangerous"

...is my middle name.

 

[Dawgluver]

Are you kidding me!?!?! Bacon butter!

What could be better. Combining two fats should be no problem! Mix in a few bacon-friendly herbs or spices and you are set! You could even skip the butter and just make compound bacon fat!

Oh sure. I'm prepping the syringe with bacon butter, will plunge it directly into my aorta.

Bad! Bad!