Herb Butters

Written by my good friend and web mistress herballyinspired@gmail.com

Herbal Buttery Goodness

Most people by now have started preparing their gardens for the year. Some may be still in the planning stages, some may be prepping beds or cleaning up containers and calcuating how much soil and mulch to purchase and some may even be planting things like potaoes or cool season lettuces.
It's especially exciting to see those first shoots break through the dirt, or those first few leaves unfurl! When you start making plans for your herbal part of your garden, don't forget to add Herb Butters to your list of "Must Do"!
Herbal butters are easy, inexpensive and yes, even freezable. You can plan a variety for different occassions throughout the year. Just open up your freezer and pull out an herb butter especially flavored for your special family Thanksgiving that you planned today! Making herb butters is also something that the kids can certainly help with. Rather than chopping fresh herbs with a sharp knife, get out the kitchen shears and let your young ones have a blast. Just think of the look on your child's face when his or her herb butter is served with that special dinner!
Herb butters are wonderful on a wide variety of foods. You can add pizzazz and flavor to everything from your traditional veggies (corn, green beans, broccoli) to a nice grilled steak. Serve your steak with a small pad or knob of a nice herbal butter melting on top and watch your guests eyes lite up in anticipation. Use a melon baller to make little round servings of butter and freeze them. Can you imagine the elegance of serving slices of a nice crusty, warm bread with tiny balls of herb butter slowly soaking green goodness into every bite? Herb butters add flair, and even a bit of fancy while they contribute fresh flavors straight from your garden to nearly any dish you chose. Not to mention, that the herbs give the butter a flavor boost so you use less, saving you a few calories and few pennies!

Herb Butter Recipes

Basic recipe:
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) of butter, softened to room temperature. Using an electric or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides often. This will take anywhere from 3-5 minutes. If you lose track of time and beat the butter longer (up to 10 minutes) you will end up with a very light, fluffy butter that may even be more desirable as it can be more spreadable. (If you want to lower the fat, beat in a small amount of skim milk at appx 1 TBSP per 1 stick or 1/2 cup of butter). Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your fresh herb choice (basil, thyme, oregano, etc. or a combination of herbs), finely chopped and mix well.

You can refrigerate until hardened just enough to shape. A few freezing shape ideas might be:
A.Roll into wax paper, drop into a freezer bag/storage container and freeze.
B.Scoop into balls with a melon baller, freeze on a small cookie sheet covered in plastic wrap. When fully frozen place in a freezer bag/storage container for freezer storage.
C. Put in tiny molds or use small cookie cutters to form your shapes, and freeze as the ball shapes above.
Experiment with your own butter shape ideas!

If not freezing, refrigerate a minimum of 3 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Overnight is even better!

Here are some herb butter suggestions:

Basil Butter
Thyme Butter
Oregano Butter
Tuscan Sun Butter (Basil, Oregano and Lemon Zest or Basil, Oregano, Thyme and Lemon Zest combined)
Cilantro Butter
Mexicali Butter (Cilantro and Oregano, or Cilantro, Oregano and Parsley combined, add a little Lime Zest for extra zing!)
Elegant Fish Butter (Dill, Chives and Parsley combined)
Sage Butter
Steak Oo-La-La Butter (Oregano, Thyme, Sage, Lemon Zest, a pinch of paprika and a pinch of freshly, finely ground pepper)

Hungry yet?