Use and infuse butter for fantastic flavor.
Quite possibly one of the world’s favorite ingredients, butter is more than just an accoutrement to melt into the crevices of a dry piece of toast or a steaming pile of mashed potatoes. Not only does it elevate common dishes to new heights, but it also takes on sweet, savory, salty, even sour flavor profiles when turned into compound butter and transfers the goodness across the culinary spectrum.
In the words of the late Julia Child, “With enough butter, anything is good.”
Culinary Upgrade
Leonardo Murillo, sous chef at Wild River Grille in Reno, explains that because it’s primarily fat-based, with minimal water content, butter offers a strong, pleasant taste and creamy texture. These profiles lend themselves well to countless dishes, such as spaghetti sauce, meat, and salad dressing.
“With typical tomato sauce, you always can add ingredients to make it better, like oregano and Italian seasoning,” Murillo says. “If you add butter, it becomes creamier and brings out the flavor profile of the tomato. You can add it to the pan when basting steaks or making sauces. Instead of oil to emulsify salad dressings, you can melt butter and use it for a very flavorful option.”
Infused Goodness
Options abound for melding ingredients into softened, unsalted butter for creative compounds. Chef Arica Davis with Yummy Fixins in South Lake Tahoe creates her own infused butters to use in dishes and alongside crackers and nibbles on charcuterie boards.
“Compound butters can take on many flavors, including herbs, sweeteners like maple syrup or honey, even bourbon,” she notes.
For steaks, Davis adds crumbled bleu cheese and chopped chives or maple syrup and a dash of bourbon.
Murillo encourages home cooks to be creative, incorporating ingredients they cook with regularly.
“With my Mexican background, I like foods spicy, and chipotle is my go-to for adding flavor,” he says.
With that in mind, Murillo created spicy chipotle butter perfect for finishing a rib eye or pork chop. Murillo also developed hibiscus lavender butter after drinking hibiscus water and being inspired to create a sweet topping for fish, breads, and biscuits.
When it comes to floral notes, Jessica Chase, farmer florist with Sierra Flower Farm in Carson Valley, grows varieties that bring flavor and a beautiful aesthetic to compound butters.
“There are a lot of edible flowers, each with their own flavor,” she says. “Make sure to buy local so you’re not exposed to harmful pesticides.”
Chase recommends violas, bachelor buttons, sunflowers, pea flowers, and chamomile in compound butters. She also suggests combining borage and dill flowers for a riff on cucumber dill butter. Before incorporating delicate flowers or petals, be sure to lightly rinse and pat them dry, then gently place them onto a pre-rolled butter log or cut pats of unsalted butter.
Try the following recipes or experiment on your own to see how every dish can be better with butter.
When she was asked to write this story, Heidi Bethel did a quick jump for joy, then called her sister, Brittani Cottrill, and brother-in-law, Randy, because they, too, are big butter fans. They shared the idea of combining strawberries with butter to top a morning bagel. It’s delicious!
Spicy Chipotle Compound Butter
(courtesy of Leonardo Murillo, sous chef, Wild River Grille in Reno. Makes 1 pound)
1 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon harissa paste
5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon mild chili powder
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Put softened butter in large mixing bowl. Add chipotle peppers and work into butter. Mix in remaining ingredients, making sure everything is well incorporated. Spoon butter onto flattened sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a log while wrapping, then press to seal wrap. Place in freezer for 1 hour so the shape holds. Remove from freezer, cut into pats, and use to garnish your favorite pieces of meat, such as a rib eye, beef filets, and pork chops.
Whole log of butter can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week or in the freezer for up to six months. Slice off pats immediately before using.
Hibiscus Lavender Compound Butter
(courtesy of Leonardo Murillo, sous chef, Wild River Grille in Reno. Makes 1 pound)
1 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
2 cups water
¼ cup dried lavender buds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon hibiscus tea
In a small saucepan, add dried hibiscus flowers and water, and bring to a simmer. Immediately strain hibiscus flower. Combine rehydrated hibiscus flowers and lavender buds; chop finely.
In a large mixing bowl, put softened butter. Mix in chopped hibiscus and lavender. Add remaining ingredients and gently mix everything with your hands. Next, add hibiscus tea, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Spoon compound butter onto flat plastic wrap and shape it into a log while wrapping. Seal the plastic wrap. Place in freezer for 1 hour so the shape holds. Remove, cut pats, and serve atop grilled fish or your favorite piece of toast.
Whole log of butter can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week or in the freezer for up to six months. Slice off pats immediately before using.
