Compound butter is a classic French preparation that combines an ingredient – truffle, basil, garlic, or mushrooms, for example – with creamy butter. Great for bread, these flavorful butters are also wonderful to have in the fridge to accompany a grilled steak, pork, lamb or veal chop, or tuck into a burger. They are so easy that we hesitate to call these recipes. So here are 7 ways you can make compound butter at home.
All you need are a few simple ingredients and basic kitchen tools, and you’ll be rolling logs of buttery goodness in no time.
1. Umami-Rich Anchovy Butter
Emphasis on umami. Sure, we know not everyone likes anchovies, but when you cream anchovy paste together with butter it’s a whole new thing. Add a pat of this butter to the top of your meat (steaks, burgers, lamb chops, venison and more) while it rests, or stir it into sauces or braises.
2. Ramp Butter
Try this easy recipe for compound butter with wild ramps – which are only in season for a brief time in early spring. Use ramp butter to flavor pasta, spread on biscuits, or to finish a steak. This butter will keep for a year in the freezer, so you can savor the unique flavor of ramps for months to come.
3. Creamy Bleu Cheese Butter
Bleu cheese fans will find many ways to enjoy this compound butter with its creamy richness and salty bite. Great for topping grilled steaks, burgers, and pork or veal chops. We used Roquefort but any semi-soft bleu cheese will work.
4. Tangy Korean Chili Butter
Complex and tangy Korean gochujang enriches this compound butter and brings just the right amount of spice and dimension of flavor, as well as bright color. Try it with grilled steaks, burgers, chicken, pork chops, and more.
5. Herb & Garlic Butter
Use your favorite herbs in any combination to make this simple compound butter. The herbaceous flavor will enhance steaks, chops, duck breast, lamb, chicken, and more. Add a generous pat on top of your meat while it rests, as we did with this grilled ribeye.
6. Earthy Mushroom & Shallot Butter
Dried and reconstituted mushrooms combine to create an earthy compound butter with richness and depth of flavor. We like a generous pat on grilled steaks and chops, but you can add butter to venison, buffalo, and game meats.
7. Tomato & Basil Butter
This compound butter has classic summer flavors and pairs well with grilled beef, pork, and veal. Make it for your next backyard meal, and add a generous pat on top of your steaks and chops while they’re resting. You might even sneak a bit for the corn.
If you don’t want to mix up your own, try our truffle butter – both black and white varieties. It’s a perfect example of how compound butter can be used on practically everything, from popcorn, pasta, and potatoes, to burgers, bistro sandwiches, and biscuits … we put this stuff on everything!
Enjoy the Buttery Goodness
We recommend adding a generous pat of compound butter on top of your just-cooked meat while it’s resting. That melty butter will mingle with the natural juices, making an instant sauce on your plate.
Don’t stop with these recipes! Compound butter can be made with just about anything. Our citrus-herb butter is great on pan-seared veal chops and pork chops while chipotle peppers creamed with butter make a bright addition to a ribeye steak hot off the grill. Miso and butter are beautiful together and will work well on any mushroom recipe – we roasted a whole maitake with this butter for a smashing side.
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