As the saying goes: “Everything’s better with butter.”
You’ll get no argument from me, but to go that one better: everything’s way better with a compound butter.
Making compound butters couldn’t be easier. Simply add selected flavouring elements to room temperature butter. Savoury and herbal butters are fantastic on corn on the cob, steak, fish, seafood (steamed mussels and grilled oysters, yum!), pasta, popcorn or just served alongside crusty bread or rolls.
Sweet butters add amazing flavour to pancakes, waffles, toast and scones. You can use either salted or unsalted butter. Since I always have salted butter in the house that’s what I use, but unsalted gives you total control over the saltiness of the finished product.
If you don’t plan to use your compound butter right away spoon it onto a piece of plastic wrap and roll it into a fat sausage shape, twisting the ends to seal the package. Place the butter in the refrigerator until it solidifies then you can slice it into coins to use as needed.
Another tip: wrap a roll of compound butter in parchment paper or cellophane and tie the ends with pretty ribbon or raffia. This makes a great hostess gift with a loaf of homemade bread.
Here’s a batch of butters to get your imagination going. For each recipe below you’ll need half a cup of room temperature butter; add the ingredients listed and mix until flavourings are completely incorporated.
Butter Gone Crackers
You guessed it, this one’s great spread on crackers.
¼ tsp each kosher salt (not required if you’re using salted butter), freshly ground black pepper, paprika and onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Mix all ingredients with half a cup of softened butter.
Madras Curry Butter
Spread this on chicken before roasting, or try it on corn on the cob or roasted sweet potatoes.
1 Tbsp minced shallots
1 Tbsp additional butter
1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Over medium heat, sauté the shallots in the tablespoon of butter until soft; add the curry powder and stir until fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl and place in refrigerator to cool. Once the mixture has cooled add it along with the remaining ingredients to half a cup of softened butter and mix thoroughly.
Blue Cheese & Chive Butter
This is a natural on grilled steak.
2 Tbsp crumbled blue cheese
2 Tbsp minced chives or green onions (green part only)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Blend above ingredients into half a cup of softened butter.
Orange Honey Butter
This is delicious on warm scones.
Mix 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest and 1 Tbsp honey into half a cup of softened butter (I find that creamed honey works better than liquid honey for making compound butters).
Pumpkin Spice Butter
This is fantastic on toasted cinnamon raisin bagels.
2 Tbsp canned pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Mix all the above ingredients with half a cup of softened butter, stirring until sugar is completely incorporated.
Cranberry Orange Butter
Try this on the bread for a turkey sandwich.
2 Tbsp fresh cranberries, finely chopped
1 tsp butter
1 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts or pecans
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
Melt the teaspoon of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the cranberries, walnuts and maple syrup and cook until the cranberries break down and the sauce turns red. Cool mixture to room temperature then stir it into half a cup of softened butter, along with the orange zest.
Angela Shellard is a self-described foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. Contact: [email protected].
