Compound Herb Butter

Since posting pics from our Thanksgiving spread, I’ve had requests for nearly every recipe from the menu.  While I won’t be able to share them all now because I just have way too many things waiting to be posted, this herb butter was requested by many and to be perfectly honest, I think it was my favorite thing I ate that day – and the next day, and the next day…

We don’t go out to eat often but when we do, it’s usually to a pretty nice restaurant, and one of my favorite parts of the meal is also one of the simplest – the butter they serve alongside bread.  It may not seem like a big deal to some people, but really good butter can be just heavenly to me.  Up until now I had tried a couple times to replicate this flavor at home with minimal success, but this time around I think it was spot on.  I quickly wrote down what I had done since I had just thrown together ingredients I had on hand.  And so I give you my favorite herb butter!  I am sure the herbs could be changed out with other combinations and such, but I actually think the combination of herbs I used this time around was what really made this great for me so I highly recommend them if possible.  I think chives could be a great addition to the flavor, and will definitely try that sometime.

And for those of you who asked for the honey butter recipe – I didn’t measure anything when I made that, so I can’t help.  I just mixed in honey and a touch of salt until it had a nice consistency and the honey flavor came through.  That’s it!

Compound Herb Butter
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Ingredients:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1 tbsp. fresh basil, finely minced
1 tsp. fresh dill, finely minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme, finely minced
½-¾ tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Mix well with a spoon until combined and all ingredients are evenly incorporated.  To serve, pipe butter into small serving dishes with a decorative pastry tip.  Alternatively, place the butter mixture onto plastic wrap, form into a log, wrap tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Allow to come to room temperature before serving so it is spreadable.

Source: Annie’s Eats original