Italian Inspired Compound Butter

This compound butter was inspired by ingredients that I use most often in Italian cooking, rosemary, sage and garlic. I added a splash of balsamic vinegar for color and it made an appealing difference.


Ingredients:
1/2 pound unsalted butter
2 cloves minced garlic
8 large sage leaves
1 small sprig of rosemary
1t balsamic vinegar
1/4t kosher salt

Directions:
Mince the sage and rosemary leaves and add them and all other ingredients to the softened butter. Mix well, form a log with it in plastic wrap (see instructions and photos under Aleppo Pepper Compound Butter for greater detail) wrap in tin foil and freeze.

When ready for use on meats, poultry or roasted vegetables, thaw, cut, and serve.

Asian Inspired Compound Butter

I did mention a surplus of butter, didn't I? This was my second experiment, since I had a great result using these same ingredients on mussels with a little sake. I'm looking forward to developing a sauce using this compound butter, but in the meantime I'll use it on vegetables and fish or shellfish.


Ingredients:
1/2 pound sweet butter
2 garlic cloves
2T cilantro
2t fresh ginger
1t black sesame or toasted sesame oil

Directions:

Cream the softened butter, add minced garlic and ginger, blend together with a fork. Add the sesame oil and incorporate well, then add finely chopped cilantro. Refrigerate until it stiffens and becomes easier to work with (the oil makes this a very soft product), then roll in plastic wrap, twist off ends, wrap with tin foil and freeze.

Aleppo Pepper Compound Butter

After the holidays last year I found myself with 5 pounds of unsalted butter, since I had not completed my baking projects. What do you do with 5 pounds of butter? The short answer is to make compound butter. I use it on poultry and meats, vegetables, on toasted bread and most often to finish sauces.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound sweet butter
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1T Aleppo pepper
1T fresh thyme

Notes:
Aleppo pepper is grown in Syria and Turkey and is most often described as a fruity pepper with heat. As I read descriptions on several spice sites I noticed that it ranges from very hot to mild. The pepper I use is mild and red. It also comes in a green, hotter pepper.

Directions:

Cream the softened butter, mince the pepper, then add to the butter and stir. The pepper that I used for this recipe was fruity and mild. If your pepper is hot, reduce to 1teaspoon.

Mince the garlic cloves and add to the butter, then stir to incorporate evenly.

Mince the thyme and stir into the butter. The mixture is soft at this point, so refrigerate to stiffen, but not harden.

When the butter is more firm yet malleable, roll into a log and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll to cover completely in the plastic and to achieve a more uniform log, then twist the ends, roll them under the log, wrap in tin foil and freeze.