Tuesday, May 7, 2013

370. Herbed Compound Butter


French cooking may be synonymous to butter for a reason... a very good reason!
This herbed beurre composé is a perfect example: butter is blended with a variety of herbs and a touch of garlic, rolled up into a cylinder, and enjoyed in various forms.

Some of its uses include: topping a freshly cooked steak or steamed vegetables with a couple of thin slivers, allowing it to melt over it, making a sort of sauce; using it as a spread in sandwiches; melting it in a pan and grilling a sandwich in it; flavoring croutons... Its uses are only limited by your imagination.
Truth be told, I used whatever selection of herbs I happened to have on hand, proportioning according to pungency. For example, sage is very strong, so I just used three leaves for 400 grams of butter. Rosemary can also become overwhelming, so I used just half a sprig. Next comes the thyme, and oregano, and finally the parsley which is the mildest of all, so I used from that the most.



Ingredients:

400g (2 cups) butter, cold
1 handful parsley leaves
4-5 sprigs fresh oregano
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small sprig rosemary
3 leaves fresh sage
2-3 cloves garlic



Method:

Remove leaves of the rosemary, thyme, and oregano; discard the stem.
Cut the butter into four pieces, place it in the food processor with all the remaining ingredients.
Pulse a couple of times until the ingredients break down and eventually combine.
The butter will form a ball similar to if you were making dough.
Divide the butter in half and place each half on a parchment sheet.
Shape the butter into a log by enveloping the butter with the parchment.
Twist the ends of the parchment similar to candy.
You can wrap it again in foil and freeze it, or refrigerate it to use as a spread.


 صحة و عافية

No comments: