herbed butter

How To Make herbed butter

• 1

  Soften butter in small bowl. SUGGESTIONS: *You can use regular butter but European butter (like Kerry Gold) really does taste better if you're using it as a spotlighted ingredient. *You can make bigger batches but it's best to start small until you know how fast you use it; it doesn't keep forever like plain butter.
• 2

  Add herbs by SMALL pinches & mix gently. SUGGESTIONS: *Limit to 3 herbs otherwise you lose distinctiveness. I usually just spotlight one herb and maybe a hint of onion or garlic powder. Simplicity is better here IMHO. (I must confess, however, to using a standard Italian Seasoning mix with some success; just be sure to thoroughly break down the Rosemary.) *Make sure all fresh herbs are minced fine (you will need a little more fresh herbs by volume than dried because of shrinkage in drying process). *Break up dry herb leaves with fingers or use a mortar & pestle. (You can leave dried leaves as they come [except rosemary which must be broken down due to toughness] but I'm always looking for an excuse to use my mortar and pestle... plus breaking them up allows the flavors to meld more quickly. Break them up as rough or fine as you desire; each has its own appearance.) *Ground dried herbs require little preparation but don't look as rustic. Be extra careful to use small pinches as ground herbs are more concentrated. *Fresh herbs taste better, but go bad faster: fresh herbs will wilt and turn a greenish brown within 24 hours but will still taste good for about 3 days. *Dry herbs start out looking a little grayish green but won't change appearance much over time and last about a week. *It is acceptable to mix dried and fresh herbs but the visual effect won't be as striking, and the shelf life is limited to the length of the fresh herb.
• 3

  Suggested herbs & seasonings: The following are my favorites. You are not limited to them. You can add any herb or dry seasoning mix you might already have on hand (I recommend using mixes that do not contain salt since most butter is already salted enough). Start with a small pinch and work up to desired potency. You can always add more but you can't take anything out. Just remember it will get stronger the longer it sits. *Basil (better fresh; dried Basil doesn't taste anything close to fresh. It's not bad, but it's nothing special like the fresh is.) *Thyme *Savory *Rosemary (I like ground dried best as rosemary leaves tend to be needle-like when fresh or especially dried.) (If using fresh be sure to mince well.) (Note that ground rosemary will turn the butter an off color, but it tastes amazing.) *Sage (strongly flavored; use sparingly) *Dill weed *Garlic (ground dried or minced fresh; crushed can be used but doesn't look as nice) *Chives (fresh is better; dried chives aren't very tasty IMHO) *Onion (I've always used dry powder, but you can mince some fresh if you've the patience; also onions are usually juicy so leave out as much juice as possible to keep the butter from becoming runny.) *Honey (of course you can't get a pinch of honey, so start with a small amount like a quarter teaspoon and work up from there if necessary) (FYI, honey will affect the consistency of the butter, making it easier to spread when cold.)
• 4

  Taste and adjust as desired. Then allow flavors to meld about half an hour at room temperature. Two hours is better.
• 5

  Serve it forth! Amazing on home made bread. If you want to get artsy you can put it on a piece of plastic wrap in the fridge to firm up a bit (maybe 10 or 15 minutes) then take it out and shape it into a log (or whatever) using the plastic wrap to keep your hands clean (a knife or small rubber spatula is also helpful). Wrap the plastic around it and put it back in the fridge to finish getting firm, then half an hour before serving, turn it out onto the intended serving dish to soften. Garnish with parsley or other fresh herbs if desired.
• 6

  Refrigerate leftovers covered. Dry herbs keep about a week; fresh herbs keep about 3 days.
• 7

  NOTES: If for some strange reason this wasn't used up immediately and you forgot about it in the back of the fridge, you can use it to flavor whatever dish you're currently cooking. (I don't recommend it as a regular cooking seasoning because there is no benefit to mixing the herbs & butter before tossing them in the cookpot.) But if you want to use it up after it is past its prime, just be sure to taste it before tossing it in. When the herbs are introduced into the butter, the fat and herbs begin to deteriorate more quickly than they normally would by themselves: the butter begins to become rancid and the herbs begin to age, eventually developing mold. Herbed butter is generally safe to eat a few days past the recommended storage time, but it's not as tasty. It does go off more quickly depending on how long it sat out on the table before storing in the fridge. [Disclaimer: I am not an expert or professional of any kind. These are merely my experiences. Use your own judgment.]
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