Compound Butter 4 Ways- Part 2!

September 16, 2020 by Nicole Collins

Do you ever have revelations while you're staring into the fridge?

I mean, I know we all stare into the fridge with the door wide open wasting all of the electricity waiting for something inside to tell us what to eat.

But, I had this moment while I was staring into the fridge the other day when I reflected on how I could never live a life without dairy.

The thought came out of nowhere. Though admittedly, I was reaching around the milk and the cream to get to the butter so that I could dip my bread straight into the tub. So...

Then, while I was eating my bread and butter, I had a brief moment of worry about the amount of butter, cream, eggs, and mayonnaise that I consume. But, the moment passed kind of quickly. Because, that butter was sooooo good. Oopsie doopsie boopsie.

I guess if I'm going down, I'm taking you all with me. Because, today's recipe is all about the butter. Today, we're making Compound Butter 4 Ways- Part 2!

Cue the celebratory confetti!

It hasn't been that long since we first made compound butter, but I had so many flavors combos running through my brain that I thought we should do it again.

So, here we go!

Here's the plan. For each flavor we make, the process is super simple. Start with softened butter. Add your flavorings. Whip them together with a hand mixer to get everything nice and fluffy. Roll them into the best looking log that you can in some plastic wrap. (My butter rolling skills need some work...) Then, let the logs solidify again. And, we're done! You can slice them into little rounds to freeze and save for later, or you can keep the log in tact and eat as you go. Freezing will extend the shelf life, or the fridge will keep your butters for about a week.

First up, we're going to make a Honey Garlic Butter. Grated garlic, honey, and a pinch of salt get mixed into our butter for a savory treat with a hint of sweetness. All of our butters are pretty versatile, and this one is no different. It's great on toast. It's great on roasted potatoes. It's great on seafood and meat. It's just plain great!.

Next, we're going to make a Blueberry Vanilla Bean Butter. This butter is the most labor intensive of the group, but it's soooo worth it!

We'll start by making a super quick blueberry compote by simmering some frozen blueberries, brown sugar, and a little water together. Once the blueberries are thick and syrupy, we remove them from the heat and let them cool completely. We don't want the blueberries to melt our butter, after all! So, you can't cheat on that step. Then, we add the blueberries to the butter with some vanilla bean paste and a pinch of salt. Give it a whip, and it's done!

I find the Blueberry Vanilla Bean Butter to be more of a breakfast butter based on it's natural sweetness. And, that's A ok. It's great on toast, muffins, pancakes, and biscuits. But, my favorite way to use this butter is on chicken and waffles. YUM!

Next up, we'll stick with the sweet butters and make an Old Bay Cinnamon Sugar Butter. You know that addictive cinnamon sugar butter that you can get at chain steakhouses? Well, this is very similar to that. But, with a little something extra that makes this butter a thousand times more special. We've seen my Old Bay cinnamon sugar mix a few times before, and it's truly one of my favorites of all time. So, it only made sense to let it shine in this butter.

To whip this one up, we need some cinnamon, some Old Bay, a little powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt to flavor up our butter. Whip them together, and try not to lick the spoon. I like to enjoy this butter in very similar ways as our blueberry butter. It's incredible on chicken and waffles. It's delicious on all the bready carbs. And, it transitions from breakfast to dinner rather easily. Sooo good!

For our last butter, we're going to make a Basil Parmesan Butter. To flavor this butter, we need some fresh basil, some freshly grated parmesan, and a little pinch of garlic powder and salt. Once these are whipped together, the possibilities are endless. This is great on a baked potato. This is great on a piece of salmon. This is great to finish a steak. Chicken, cheesy bread, eggs...I could go on all day.

Like I mentioned earlier, though I may be composed of 50% butter, I do not recommend eating 1 lb of butter over the course of a week (the shelf life of these butters in the fridge). You can portion these out into ½ tablespoon or tablespoon sized slices, lay them on some parchment or wax paper, and throw them in a freezer safe bag; they'll last you a good 6 months in the freezer.

And, I'm sure everyone's arteries would find that a little more acceptable. Ok, everyone! I still have a ton of butter flavors bouncing around in my brain. So, I wouldn't be surprised if we see Part 3 some time in the (probably near) future.

Until then, I can't wait to hear about your favorite ways to use these. Let's eat!

Compound Butter 4 Ways- Part 2!

Serves: 1 lb Print

Ingredients:

For the Honey Garlic Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 ½ tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, grated
pinch of salt

For the Blueberry Vanilla Bean Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
½ cup frozen blueberries
1 tsp brown sugar
1/ tsp water
1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt

For the Basil Parmesan Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 tbsp basil, minced
1 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
¼ tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt

For the Old Bay Cinnamon Sugar Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp Old Bay seasoning
pinch of salt

Directions:

Make the Honey Garlic Butter: To a small mixing bowl, add all ingredients for Honey Garlic butter. Use a hand mixer to whip the butter until all ingredients are fully combined. Take a piece of plastic wrap, and spread the butter mix into a log approximately the size of a stick of butter. Gently use the plastic wrap to help you roll the butter into a tight log, releasing any trapped air, and getting the butter log as smooth as possible. Tighten the ends of the plastic wrap, label the butter, and place it in the fridge to chill until solid, about 1 hour.
Make the Blueberry Vanilla Bean Butter: Add berries, brown sugar, and water to a small saucepan, and stir to combine. Bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce to medium low, gently smash the berries with a spoon, and simmer for 10-12 mins until the berries have become syrupy. Set aside to cool completely. Once the berries have cooled, add 1 stick butter, berries, 1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste, and a pinch of salt to a small mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to whip the butter until all ingredients are fully combined. Take a piece of plastic wrap, and spread the butter mix into a log approximately the size of a stick of butter. Gently use the plastic wrap to help you roll the butter into a tight log, releasing any trapped air, and getting the butter log as smooth as possible. Tighten the ends of the plastic wrap, label the butter, and place it in the fridge to chill until solid, about 1 hour.
Make the Basil Parmesan Butter: To a small mixing bowl, add all ingredients for Basil Parmesan butter. Use a hand mixer to whip the butter until all ingredients are fully combined. Take a piece of plastic wrap, and spread the butter mix into a log approximately the size of a stick of butter. Gently use the plastic wrap to help you roll the butter into a tight log, releasing any trapped air, and getting the butter log as smooth as possible. Tighten the ends of the plastic wrap, label the butter, and place it in the fridge to chill until solid, about 1 hour.
Make the Old Bay Cinnamon Sugar Butter: To a small mixing bowl, add all ingredients for Old Bay Cinnamon Sugar butter. Use a hand mixer to whip the butter until all ingredients are fully combined. Take a piece of plastic wrap, and spread the butter mix into a log approximately the size of a stick of butter. Gently use the plastic wrap to help you roll the butter into a tight log, releasing any trapped air, and getting the butter log as smooth as possible. Tighten the ends of the plastic wrap, label the butter, and place it in the fridge to chill until solid, about 1 hour.
Store the butters in the refrigerator for up to one week; or slice, freeze, and store the butter slices for up to 6 months in the freezer.

Recipe notes:

*These are not meant to be cooking butters (to start a dish) but as finishing butters. Here are some of my favorite ways to use these butters:

*The Honey Garlic butter is really good on potatoes. It's also soooo good on salmon. It also works for chicken. It makes a great garlic bread too. I could go on and on.

*The Blueberry Bean Maple butter is yummy on pancakes, waffles, toast, and croissants. Make some chicken and waffles, then finish it with this butter. Mmm...so good.

*The Basil Parmesan butter is super versatile. You can use it to finish scrambled eggs, as a spread for baguette, to flavor a baked potato, or to finish steak or chicken. Yum.

*The Old Bay Cinnamon Sugar butter is awesome on english muffins or toast. It's also a great finisher for chicken and waffles.