Flavored Butter
Flavored butter is a wonderful way to elevate many recipes by adding lots of flavor and creamy richness. All the aromatic flavors in the butter pack a powerful punch, without being overpowering at all. Shallots, garlic, lemon and fresh herbs – they are the perfect marriage.
Flavored butter is so easy to make and combines lots of aromatic ingredients with creamy butter which you can use to dress up lots of things, steaks, chicken and seafood as well as veggies, such as potatoes, rice, and so much more.
It’s so convenient to make it in advance and add a special touch to your special occasion meals. You can store it in your refrigerator or even your freezer. You can also make different variations of flavors by adding different ingredients to the butter. Use lime or orange instead of lemon or use rosemary or tarragon instead of the parsley and thyme.
Ingredients
- butter – use unsalted butter and bring it to room temperature before adding the rest of the ingredients
- shallots – instead of shallots, you can use onion
- garlic
- fresh herbs: I usually use thyme and parsley, but you can use so many other herbs, such as rosemary, tarragon, chives, cilantro, etc.
- lemon zest and lemon juice
- instead of the lemon, you can also use lime or even orange
- salt, ground black pepper
How to make Flavored Butter
- Use room temperature butter, so it is easy to mash with a fork.
- I like to sauté the shallots and garlic and cooling slightly, before adding it to the butter. This makes the flavor much more mild, and won’t give you really strong onion/garlic breath after eating.
- Add all the flavor ingredients to the butter and mix it together until combined. Season the butter with salt and pepper to taste.
- Shape the butter into a cylinder and make a log shape. Wrap in plastic wrap, parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Store refrigerated (about a week) or freeze for longer storage (up to 3 months).
You can also use flavored butter to serve alongside chicken, pork, lamb, or seafood. You can also add a dab of flavored butter to potatoes, either mashed, roasted or sautéed, season rice, green beans and so much more. The possibilities are endless.
Make an extra portion of flavored butter and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week or even freeze it for up to 3 months.
What to Serve With Flavored Butter
Flavored Butter
Flavored butter is a wonderful way to elevate many recipes by adding lots of flavor and creamy richness. All the aromatic flavors in the butter pack a powerful punch, without being overpowering at all. Shallots, garlic, lemon and fresh herbs – they are the perfect marriage.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 5 min
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 flavored butter log 1x
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 Tablespoons butter) softened to room temperature
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1–2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1–2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 1/2 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1/2 Tablespoon juice from 1 small lemon
- salt, pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make sure that the butter is at room temperature.
- In a medium skillet, heat about 1/2 Tablespoon of the butter, then add the shallots and garlic, season with salt and cook for just a few minutes, until tender and starting to turn golden. Cool slightly.
- Add the cooked shallots and garlic, along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley and thyme to the remaining butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
- Shape the butter into a log and wrap in parchment paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Chill.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Serve the flavored butter on top of steak, poultry, seafood or with veggies, such as green beans, brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc.
You can also add the flavored butter to potatoes, rice or pasta.
Keywords: flavored butter, compound butter, garlic and herb butter