Welcome to Well-Stocked, a regular series on items that everyone should be keeping in the pantry and why they’re so multitalented. I’m starting out with compound butter, a freezer staple that takes a minimal amount of work to make but will pay off handsomely for months to come (sometimes years if you look at what’s in my own freezer!).
Compound butter is one of my go-to solutions for nights when we’re low on groceries and I’m trying to stretch things out with a basic grain or wondering how to cook a piece of fish for myself. It’s got all your great seasonings and fats rolled into one, so you don’t have to spend the time chopping and building a sauce on a weeknight.
ingredients for a garlic, shallot, and herb compound butter
You don’t really need a specific recipe for compound butter—it’s really just a stick of room-temperature butter mashed together with whatever herbs or flavors you happen to have around, then rolled into a log and frozen. But here are a few of my favorites:
Garlic-Rosemary Butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1 stick softened butter
- Puree from 1 head roasted garlic
- olive oil
- 2-3 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
- salt to taste
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft but not brown, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Process all ingredients in a food processor or mash by hand until well incorporated. Refrigerate until firm enough to hold its shape, then spoon out onto a piece of waxed paper and roll into a log, twisting the ends to get any extra air out. Wrap that log in foil and place in the freezer. Just slice off as much as you need when you need it.
This one is devastatingly good with your summer beans, an easy topping for pan-roasted cod, and of course makes some awesome garlic bread if you have a loaf of ciabatta.
bagna cauda butter
Bagna Cauda Butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 3 anchovies, finely minced (I like the ones packed in oil with red pepper flakes for extra heat)
- 1 stick softened butter
- salt to taste
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook until the anchovies dissolve and the garlic is golden. Let cool to room temperature.
Process all ingredients in a food processor or mash by hand until well incorporated. Refrigerate until firm enough to hold its shape, then spoon out onto a piece of waxed paper and roll into a log, twisting the ends to get any extra air out. Wrap that log in foil and place in the freezer. Just slice off as much as you need when you need it.
I like this one over linguine and clams a la Michael Chiarello.
Chili-Lime Butter
- 1 stick softened butter
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey
- salt to taste
Process all ingredients in a food processor or mash by hand until well incorporated. Refrigerate until firm enough to hold its shape, then spoon out onto a piece of waxed paper and roll into a log, twisting the ends to get any extra air out. Wrap that log in foil and place in the freezer. Just slice off as much as you need when you need it.
I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t want to slather this all over grilled corn, but it’s also amazingly tasty melted over popcorn or on cornbread.
I could keep going—it would be so easy to do an Indian-spiced butter if you’re a curry fanatic, or even an Old Bay butter to keep in your beach house all summer for shrimp, crabs and clams. Leave your ideas in the comments, and we’ll add to the compound butter library.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Co-editor Danielle would like to endorse the unbelievable goodness of the bagna cauda butter. It’s also perfect just slathered on some bread as an easy side to fish or a piece of meat.
Mmm…Old Bay butter.
gurgling like Homer Simpson…
One of the more useful posts! Recommended to many friends so thanks for the SEARCH BAR which takes your directly to extraordinary ideas for compound butter!