Cooking Lesson #149 Compound Butters

Cooking Basics

Compound Herbed Butter with Baguette

How you doin’? Have you ever wondered why steaks taste so much better at The Palm, Maestro’s or Ruth’s Chris steak houses than they do off your own backyard grill? It’s the dab of butter that is placed on top that slowly melts adding a ton of flavor. It’s not just any butter but a compound butter and most likely Maître’d Butter.

What exactly are compound butters? Compound butters (beurre composé) are mixtures of butter and other good ingredients. They are used to enhance the flavor in various dishes, kind of like a sauce, but much easier. It is softened butter, whipped together with various sweet or savory ingredients. While the concept is simple, the potential flavor combinations are complex and endless.
 
You can pair baguettes, scones, rolls, pancakes, waffles or cornbread with sweet compound butters flavored with orange or lemon zest, maple syrup, honey or cinnamon. Savory compound butters can include garlic, shallots, parsley and lemon (Maître’d Butter) perfect for steaks or even ground lobster shells, butter and lemon zest in Lobster Butter as an enhancement for seafood.
 
Compound butters can be made at home or a limited number of flavors can be purchased commercially. Try making your own. A compound butter is made by just whipping additional elements, such as herbs, spices or aromatic liquids, into butter. The butter is then reformed, usually in plastic wrap or parchment paper, rolled and frozen until it is firm enough to be sliced. These butters can be melted on top of meats and vegetables, used as a spread or to finish various sauces.
 
Here are five recipes to get you started, but the combinations are endless and use the same technique. Be creative… think about your favorite flavor combinations and make your own flavor thrills with your own custom compound butters.
 
                                                       Maître’d Butter
 Ingredients
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
 
Directions

1. Pulse the fresh shallots, garlic, and parsley in food processor until fine.
2. Whip butter in mixer using whip attachment on high speed.
3. When butter is fluffy, turn speed down to low and add remaining ingredients, including the herbs.
4. Using either parchment paper or food film, roll the mixture into a cylinder 1 inch in diameter.
5. Freeze.
6. After frozen, cut as needed into 1/2-ounce portions.
7. Don’t forget to label and date.

 
How to use and serve

• Place a butter disk on top of cooked steak, chicken or fish
• Sauté shrimp in the butter
• Serve with grilled or boiled ears of corn
• Brush on grilled vegetables

 
                                              Cinnamon Maple Butter
 Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 
Directions

1. Whip butter in mixer using whip attachment on high speed.
2. When butter is fluffy, turn speed down to low and add remaining ingredients.
3. Using either parchment paper or food film, roll the mixture into a cylinder 1 inch in diameter.
4. Freeze.
5. After frozen, cut as needed into 1/2-ounce portions.
6. Don’t forget to label and date.

 
How to use and serve

• Spread it on toast
• Place a butter disk on top of pancakes or waffles
• Spread on cornbread
• Serve with baked sweet potatoes

 
                                                  Gorgonzola Sage Butter
 Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (or bleu cheese)
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
 
Directions

1. Whip butter in mixer using whip attachment on high speed.
2. When butter is fluffy, turn speed down to low and add remaining ingredients.
3. Using either parchment paper or food film, roll mixture into a cylinder 1 inch in diameter.
4. Freeze.
5. After frozen, cut as needed into 1/2-ounce portions.
6. Don’t forget to label and date.

 
How to serve

• Place a butter disk on top of grilled steak, chicken or pork tenderloin
• Melt and brush on shrimp skewers
• Use in baked potatoes
• Spread on warm dinner rolls

 
                                                  Jalapeño Lime Butter
 Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded, seamed and minced very finely
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
 
Directions

1. Whip butter in mixer using whip attachment on high speed.
2. When butter is fluffy, turn speed down to low and add remaining ingredients.
3. Using either parchment paper or food film, roll mixture into a cylinder 1 inch in diameter.
4. Freeze.
5. After frozen, cut as needed into 1/2-ounce portions.
6. Label and date.

 
How to serve

• Brush on grilled or boiled ears of corn
• Place a butter disk on top of grilled or roasted meat, chicken, fish or shrimp
• Brush on grilled vegetables

 
                                                  Orange Honey Butter
 Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
 
Directions

1. Whip butter in mixer using whip attachment on high speed.
2. When butter is fluffy, turn speed down to low and add remaining ingredients.
3. Using either parchment paper or food film, roll mixture into a cylinder 1 inch in diameter.
4. Freeze.
5. After frozen, cut as needed into 1/2-ounce portions.
6. Label and date.

 
How to serve

• Spread on toast or cornbread
• Serve with warm scones
• Serve with baked sweet potatoes

ChefSecret:  This all sounds yummy, but I can’t eat dairy. What else can I use? The two best things to use are margarine (which is a one for one replacement for butter) or refined coconut oil, which softens easily and solidifies when refrigerated. It will add a coconut note to the compound flavor, but that can only be a good thing when you add complementary ingredients, such as curry powder, lime juice and cilantro.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: I’m so excited today!!! It’s time to take out the garbage.  What should I wear?
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