There’s a reason French food is famed: locality, seasonality, and of course, butter. My favorite form of fat, butter, is a fabulous way to bring beautiful flavor to so many proteins, vegetables, and baked goods. To quote Julia Child, “with enough butter, anything is good.”
Here’s a quick way to build a better butter! By mixing in the flavors of the season, you can easily add another element to your dish. Compound butters are essentially butter with other ingredients added, and have included classic recipes such as Beurre Maître d’Hôtel. Today, butters are combined with a myriad of ingredients, like the miso butter made by Chef Ji Hye Kim (check out our Cooking Local Live on Instagram to see her make it in person!)
Here’s the rundown: to make compound butter, you fold in ingredients with softened butter, and roll back into a log shape to freeze back into shape. I chose to add ingredients from the season, as well as my herb garden.
Claire’s Butters:
• roasted garlic and lemon thyme
• blueberries and pineapple sage
• wildflower honey and lavender for a floral and sweet version
Here are some other ideas:
• red wine and black pepper
• jalapeño lime
• chai spice pumpkin
For more details, check out the video below: