Flavored Butters

By brenie_shydee

Butter, as all food lovers know, makes everything better. But blend in chopped fresh herbs, citrus zest, or spices, and you take it to a whole new level of deliciousness. When spread onto bread and paired with simple fillings, these mixes (their proper name is compound butter) anchor a variety of tea sandwiches.

Ingredients

• Watercress and Lemon
• 2 cups loosely packed watercress + 3/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest + 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Great on: Ham tea sandwiches or tossed with boiled potatoes. (Pictured top.)
• Dill, Grapefruit, and Fennel
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill + 1 tablespoon finely grated grapefruit zest + 1/2 teaspoon finely ground toasted fennel seeds + 1/8 teaspoon salt.
• Great on: Smoked salmon and watercress tea sandwiches or mixed with warm farro. (Pictured second.)
• Cilantro and Curry
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro + 1 1/2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste (grocerythai.com) + 1/8 teaspoon salt.
• Great on: Sliced chicken and cucumber tea sandwiches or slathered on corn. (Pictured third.)
• Pea and Tarragon
• 1/3 cup thawed frozen peas or cooked, cooled fresh peas + 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon + 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Great on: Radish tea sandwiches or folded into pasta with goat cheese. (Pictured fourth.)
• Chive and Mustard
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives + 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard + 1/8 teaspoon salt.
• Great On: Smoked trout tea sandwiches or melted over steamed asparagus
• Sugar and Spice
• Mix in 2 Tbls sugar and 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Spread on toast or saute with pear wedges.
• Cranberry and orange
• Mix in 1/4 c coarsely chopped fresh or thawed frozen cranberries and 1 Tbls finely granted orange zest. Add to oatmeal, melt onto pancakes, or spread on turkey sandwiches.
• Honey and chipotle
• Mix in 1 Tbls chopped canned chipotle peppers and 2 Tbls honey. Slater on biscuits or baked sweet potatoes.
• Shallot and thyme
• Mix in 2 Tbls each chopped fresh thyme leaves and minced shallot. Stir into pastas, soups or vegetable sautes, or spread on dinner rolls.

Preparation

Step 1

To make, place 1 stick softened butter plus mix-ins for each spread in a small food processor; pulse until all ingredients are combined. The butters can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.