garlic chive compound butter DIY

a compound butter...sounds fancy right?  it is pretty bad ass, but very easy and basically, the perfect finishing touch to so many meals.  it is butter that has been flavoured by blending softened butter together with various ingredients.   it is also known as finishing butter.  you can make them savory or sweet depending what you are making them for.

the standard recipe for all flavoured butters is basically the same.  you take softened unsalted butter and blend in the ingredients with an electric mixer, beating at medium speed until completely blended (1 to 2 minutes).   let the butter stand for an hour in a cool place, covered, so the flavours can develop; then refrigerate (or freeze) to harden.

fresh herbs and lemon or lime juice are my favourite.  some other ideas:

strawberry basil butter for pop overs, ground espresso beans and black pepper for elk, lemon zest raspberry sugar butter for pancakes, cayenne lime zest for corn on the cob....dude, is anybody else salivating. sorry guys...i need to go eat some butter....be back in a sec...

here i've put it on an organic grass fed buffalo tenderloin and paired it with half an artichoke that was wonderful with the garlic chive butter, as well.  baked yam and garlic rubbed celeriac wedges...yum.

when it is blended and fluffed right up, turn it out onto some plastic wrap or wax paper and roll it into a tube shape.  if you have a sushi roller, you can try softly rolling it to make a uniform shape.

tips for preparing compound butters:

• the butter must first be brought to room temperature and softened by beating it.
• the flavouring ingredients must be very finely chopped or pureed. if any extra liquid develops, it should be drained off thoroughly before mixing in the butter.
• for the flavour to better penetrate the butter, allow it to stand at cool room temperature for a few hours before refrigerating.
• compound butters may be stored in freezer, tightly wrapped. use a sharp knife dipped in hot water for cutting the frozen butter.