The wonderful thing about having an herb garden is the abundance of fresh herbs, naturally. But, sometimes that abundance is just too abundant.
One great way to preserve those herbs is to make herb butter. Herb butter is a good way to add flavor to vegetables, fish, chicken or even warm bread.
The farmer’s markets are full of bundles of fresh herbs right now if you don’t have your own garden.
This recipe is for a pound of butter, but you can use a handful of herbs and add it to a stick of butter.
Savory Herb Butter
Author:
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 pound
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil
- 1 pound butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Strip the leaves of your herbs from the stem, and place them into the bowl of a food processor.
- Chop the herbs roughly in the processor.
- Add the butter and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface.
- Scrape the butter out of the bowl, and put it in the bottom 1/3 of your parchment.
- Fold the short end of the parchment over the butter tightly, shaping it into a log.
- Pull back on the parchment to tighten and compress the butter.
- Roll the butter up completely in the parchment paper, and fold the ends to close it.
- Place the roll in the refrigerator to chill.
- To freeze the butter wrap the log in a couple layers of plastic wrap.
- When you want to use some unwrap the frozen butter, and cut off slices with a sharp knife.
1. Rub the softened butter on and under the skin of a turkey or chicken before roasting.
2. Saute vegetables in the butter.
3 Spread on crusty bread then toast it in the oven.
4. Serve it alongside dinner rolls or bread at a meal.
5. Melt the butter then pour it over your popcorn.
I like the idea of doing this but I think I’d need more concrete ideas for how to use it before I’d actually make it.
I do this! I also do a version where I put minced garlic in and a third version with bits of caramelized onion. I also cut the logs into sections (knuckles!) and have them loose in a bag in the freezer. It’s amazing how often something is enhanced by just taking one of those knuckles of tasty butter and tossing it in.