Cooking: Compound Butter

Are you having friends over for dinner and want to do something simple but jazz it up a bit without too much effort? Or perhaps you're just tired of having the same old thing? A dab of Compound Butter might just be what you're looking for.

You may have heard of Compound Butter and not realized what it was. Basically it's a fancy name for flavored butter. Compound Butter can be flavored with a variety of things such as fresh herbs, spices, honey, and sauces such as sweet chili or soy - it really depends on what you like and what you're going to be using it for.

Here are some ways you can use Compound Butter:

• Add a dab of butter to aluminum wrapped parcels of vegetables, chicken or fish and then either cook the parcels on the grill (BBQ) or bake them in the oven.
• Add a dab to roasted or grilled meat such as beef, lamb, or chicken
• Add slices to sauces and gravies to add flavor and richness
• Top a baked potato with a dab
• Stuff thin slices between the skin and the flesh of chicken, or other poultry then cook as you normally would - it will add flavor and keep the meat moist.
• Bury a small dab of butter in the center of an uncooked hamburger patty and then cook.

Base Recipe
4 oz unsalted room temperature butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Kosher salt is a coarse grained sea salt with a milder taste than table salt. For more information on Salt, check our Guide to Salt posting.

Flavorings
Rosemary and Garlic - perfect for grilled beef, lamb or chicken
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1-2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sweet Chili and Mint - perfect for grilled vegetables such as corn or for chicken
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

Honey and Ginger - perfect on cooked carrots or chicken
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Put the butter, salt and flavorings in a small bowl.

Mix well with a fork until the flavorings are evenly mixed throughout the butter. Scrape the butter out of the bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the butter while shaping it into a fat sausage shape.

Freeze the butter for at least 1 hour or until you need it. Slice pieces off as you need them. The butter will stay fresh for up to a month in the freezer.