| Makes | 1 cup |
| Preparation Time | 1 hour to room temperature |
| Setting Time | 1 hour |
Compound Butter and Variations
Flavoured or composite butters have a wide range of uses. They can be made in quantity and will keep well for at least a week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months frozen. It is useful to prepare the butter with flavourings and mould it into a cylindrical shape approximately 3cm in diameter using baking paper.
Use salted butter for the savoury varieties and cultured or unsalted for the sweet. Refrigerate and slice as required.
Try some of these variations below - Goats Cheese and Watercress Butter, Shallot Parsley Butter, Ginger, Coriander and Lime Butter, Anchovy and Caper Butter, Curry Butter, Orange Tarragon Butter, Dill Butter, Sun Dried Tomato and Rosemary Butter, Lemon Chive Butter, Olive and Chilli Garlic Butter, Thai Chilli Butter, Fig Port Wine Butter, Mint Butter, Brandy Butter, Sweet Maple Butter, Honey Cinnamon Butter, Coconut and Passionfruit Butter and Macadamia Butter.
Tip
Cube the butter before bringing it to room temperature.
Ingredients
- 250g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
- Flaked salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Variation ingredients (see below)
Method
- Place the butter and variation ingredients in a food processor, pulse until just combined, and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the butter mixture to a sheet of baking paper or waxed paper.
- Roll into a 3cm wide log, twist off the ends to seal then refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. If you are freezing the butter, wrap in cling wrap as well before freezing.
- When you are ready to use it, take it out, slice off the amount of butter you need, and then return the remainder to the refrigerator/freezer.
Tip:
Work on .5 cm slice of butter per serving
Variations
Savoury
- Goats Cheese and Watercress Butter - ½ cup of fresh goats' cheese at room temperature, 1 cup of finely chopped watercress leaves.
- Shallot Parsley Butter - 3 Tbsp of minced shallots, 1 Tbsp of dry white wine, 1 Tbsp of finely chopped flat leaf parsley.
- Ginger Coriander and Lime Butter - ¼ cup cream cheese at room temperature, 1 Tbsp of grated fresh ginger, 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 3 Tbsp of chopped fresh coriander.
- Anchovy and Caper Butter - 20g each finely chopped anchovy fillets and capers and 1 tsp finely chopped fresh dill.
- Curry Butter - 1¼ tsp of curry powder or your favourite curry paste.
- Orange Tarragon Butter - 1 Tbsp of orange zest, 1 Tbsp of fresh orange juice, 2 Tbsp of finely chopped fresh tarragon.
- Dill Butter - ¼ cup cream cheese at room temperature, 1 tsp of lemon zest, 1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice, 2 Tbsp of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, 2 Tbsp of chopped fresh dill.
- Sun Dried Tomato and Rosemary Butter - 10 sun dried tomatoes, ½ cup fresh goats' cheese (room temperature), 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary.
- Lemon Chive Butter - 1 Tbsp lemon zest, 1 tsp fresh lemon juice, and 2½ Tbsp snipped fresh chives.
- Olive and Chilli Garlic Butter - 40g pitted, finely chopped Kalamata olives, 2 crushed cloves garlic and 1-2 finely chopped chillies.
- Thai Chilli Butter - 4 chopped small red chillies, 1 Tbsp each of chopped fresh coriander and finely chopped fresh lemongrass.
- Fig Port Wine - 4 large dried figs finely chopped and soaked in 3 Tbsp of heated port wine until they absorb all the port, ½ tsp flaked salt.
- Mint Butter - 2 Tbsp fresh mint leaves
Sweet
- Brandy Butter - 2 Tbsp brandy and 20g icing sugar.
- Sweet Maple Butter - 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup and 20g icing sugar.
- Honey Cinnamon Butter - 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 1 Tbsp honey and 20g icing sugar.
- Coconut and Passionfruit Butter - Pulp of 2 passionfruit, 10g toasted desiccated coconut, ½ tsp coconut essence and 10g icing sugar.
- Macadamia Butter - use unsalted butter instead of salted and add .25 cup toasted unsalted macadamia nuts, finely chopped.
