Compound Butters
So, what exactly is compound butter? It is simply an amazing mixture of butter and other delicious savoury or sweet ingredients that make a flavoured butter, and while the concept is simple, the potential flavour combinations are endless.
A freezer full of these amazing flavour bombs are one of the best things any home cook (or chef) can have at their disposal. So simple to make, all you need to do is slice off however much you need and add it to your chosen dish. Use it to baste meat and fish, watch it melt over vegetable dishes or stir it through pasta for a quick and easy meal. Make sure your butter is soft when you make them so the ingredients can be easily distributed throughout it.
Horseradish & Caper
250g butter
1 tbsp creamed horseradish sauce
1 tbsp capers finely chopped
Place all ingredients in a bowl and thoroughly combine. Perfect with steak and burgers also fish such as mackerel
and tuna.
Red Wine, Shallot & Tarragon
1 large shallot, finely chopped
100ml red wine
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon
Add the shallot and wine to a small pan and simmer on a very low heat until the wine has reduced to about a teaspoon and the shallots have absorbed the colour and flavour. Allow to cool fully before stirring through the butter.
Honeyed Blood Orange
1 tbsp heaped of blood orange marmalade (finely chop any large pieces of rind)
1 tsp honey
This is actually one of our favourites, quick and simple, it works amazingly well on both sweet and savoury, from baked hams to grilled brioche breads.
Lemon & Dill
250g butter
2 tbsp chopped dill
Zest of 1 lemon
A winner on fish and seafood.
Maple Bacon & Chipotle
250g butter
1 tbsp finely chopped crispy bacon
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp chipotle chilli paste
Takes pork and chicken as well as grilled veg to another dimension.
How to create your butter ‘log’
1. Spoon your butter mixture along the centre of a square of greaseproof paper (approximately 350mm x 350mm).
2. Fold one long end over the top of the butter to the bottom edge and roll the package towards you, forming a log.
3. Twist one end a couple of times, and while holding that end, twist the other end in the opposite direction, forming the parcel.
