A Condiment for All Occasions: Compound Butter

The Victoria Day weekend reminds me of many things, among which are canoeing, camping, beer, and BBQ.

This particular Victoria Day weekend went more like this: exploring, beer, work, yard work, and BBQ. Meh. You can’t win ’em all.

We did finish the weekend well – with our first grilled steak of the season – a succulent locally produced rib eye. Now, I hope you all know that steak just isn’t quite complete without a compound butter melting all over it.

A compound butter is, simply put, a butter with other flavouring agents mixed in to them – spices, herbs – anything you can dream up – let your imagination go wild.

Tonight’s choice was a compound butter flavoured with horseradish, chives, and lime zest. Other compound butter suggestions:

• Chili and lime
• Blue cheese and worcestershire sauce (makes corn on the cob a new experience)
• Capers and lemon (Can you imagine the impromptu sauce this would make over a fish filet?)

 
Here’s how we made ours tonight.

Horseradish Chive Butter

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped chives
3 tbsp horseradish
1/2 tsp lime zest
1/2 tsp salt

There really isn’t much method, just prepare the ingredients and mix well.

I rolled the butter into a log with parchment paper so we can keep it in the refrigerator and use it when we need it.

So easy for such a huge difference in your meal. I’m excited to try it on boiled new potatoes, on steamed green beans, and on corn on the cob.

Tonight’s dinner: grilled rib eye, mashed potatoes with garlic cream cheese and steamed spinach, Chickadee Larder corn relish, grilled portobello mushroom, and fresh pea shoots.

Oh, and horseradish butter, of course.