You thought we meant bacon, didn’t you? Well, bacon is a close second. But this time we are talking about butter. Specifically compound butter, called beurre composé in French, a mixture of butter and other ingredients like herbs, spices, or truffles. Now is a good time to add it to your repertoire, because grilling season will be even tastier with this secret sauce. 

Compound butters are flavor boosters, and are super easy to make at home. We’ve already done the work for you with our popular truffle butter. It’s a delightful addition to many dishes, from popcorn and pasta to burgers and baked goods. Find our truffle butter recipes here.

Another of our favorite compound butters is ramp butter, which enjoys a short season in spring. We posted a little video recently to show how ramp butter is made, a process that applies to all compound butters.

The basic steps are: soften the butter, chop the herbs, mushrooms, or otherwise prep your additional ingredient; mix to combine them evenly, then roll the butter into a log shape using plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to bring back to a solid state. Slice rounds and use them at will.

Eating Compound Butter

We like to put a pat of compound butter on a seared steak, or on hot vegetables. It’s also great for finishing sauces of all kinds, or simply spread on bread or crackers.

Here are some of our recipes using compound butter …

Pan-Seared Veal Chops with Citrus-Herb Butter

Grilled Ribeye Steak with Basil Butter

Sweet butter flecked with Italian basil and garlic adds a creamy richness to grilled ribeye steak. Blistered cherry tomatoes on the vine make a natural accompaniment that looks as good as it tastes.

Grilled Ribeye Steak with Garlic Herb Butter

There’s nothing better than a good steak grilled over fire. We kept the preparation simple on this one, topping the ribeye with a pat of compound butter packed with fresh herbs and garlic. The butter enhances without overwhelming and when it mingles with the meat juices, makes a delectable sauce.

 

Spicy Grilled Buffalo Ribeye Steak with Chipotle Butter & Corn Salsa

These buffalo steaks are a heat-seekers dream with a spicy dry rub, a jalapeno flecked corn salsa, and smoky chipotle butter.

Whole Roasted Maitake with Miso Butter

This simple method of whole roasting hen-of-the-woods mushrooms yields both crispy petals and tender hearts. The compound miso butter adds richness and gives the deliciously earthy mushrooms an umami boost. Great as a side dish or a meatless main course when served over soft polenta.

 Foie Gras Butter

We saved the best for last. This recipe is adapted from Jennifer McLagan’s excellent cookbook, Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes. Try it spread on warm baguette, stirred into hot polenta or slathered on a ripe fig. Heaven!

If you mix up some compound butter, let us know how it comes out. Post photos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest and tag @dartagnanfoods so we can applaud your efforts.