Homemade Herb-Flavoured Butters
by Angela Patel
I always have a couple of pots of fresh herbs sitting on my kitchen window sill. My favourites are basil and coriander but flat-leaf parsley, lemon thyme, chives or rosemary are my other go-to herbs.
Keeping them fresh and healthy for longer than a few days can be a bit of a challenge but the Cole & Mason Self Watering Herb Keeper does all the work for you, just top up the water well and the plants will stay perky and well hydrated for weeks!
A sprinkling of chopped herbs can lift and enhance almost any dish! But I particularly like making herb flavoured butters to have on stand by in the fridge. They are great for topping grilled meats, pan-fried fish and steamed veg or stirring into pasta and enriching sauces.
Follow these simple steps to make your own herb butters:
Prep: 20 mins plus chilling or freezing
Difficulty: Easy
Method:
- For each butter you’ll need about 125g salted butter. Allow to soften at room temperature for at least an hour. A quick way to speed up the softening process is to coarsely grate the butter into a bowl.
- Beat the butter with a spatula or wooden spoon until very soft and smooth then gradually beat in your chosen herbs and other flavourings (see Flavour variations below).
- Drop the butter in a rough sausage shape onto a square piece of baking or greaseproof paper. Roll the paper around the butter to form a roll and gently twist the ends like a Christmas cracker.
- Chill the rolls in the fridge until firm. Each flavoured butter log will keep for at least a week. Or place in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To use, simply unwrap and slice off rounds of the butter as you need them. Allow frozen butters to defrost in the fridge overnight.
Flavour Variations:
Here are three classic variations but you can use any combo of herbs with other flavourings such as dried chilli flakes, finely grated Parmesan, a spoonful of creamed horseradish, finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes or black olives – the choice is endless!
- Classic garlic and herb – beat in 2-3 tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, 2 peeled and crushed garlic cloves and season with freshly ground black pepper. Use to top char-grilled steaks, pan-fry mixed mushrooms or make home-made garlic and herb bread.
- Lemon, thyme and pepper – beat in 2 tbsp freshly chopped thyme leaves, 2 tsp lemon zest and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Great with grilled or oven-baked fish but also delicious stirred into hot cooked rice or dotted onto char-grilled vegetables.
- Basil and chilli – beat in 2-3tbsp shredded fresh basil leaves and 1 finely chopped de-seeded red chilli pepper. This butter livens up pasta and stir fries but also is perfect for sautéing tiger prawns or adding to steamed mussels.
