Herb butter
Herb butter is the simplest way to freeze summer. A parchment log keeps three months in the freezer, and a slice melting on a steak, potatoes or fish turns into a sauce in seconds. The key: the herbs must be bone dry.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Chopping the herbs 10 min
- Creaming the butter 5 min
- Rolling the log 5 min
- Chilling 120 min
Step by step
0 / 5 doneDry and chop the herbs
Wash the herbs and dry them completely in a spinner or a cloth. Water on the leaves turns into ice crystals in the freezer and wrecks the butter's texture. Chop all the herbs and the garlic finely.
Ingredients: 1 bunch parsley · ½ bunch chives · ½ bunch dill · 2 cloves garlic · 1 tsp thyme
TipChop with a knife, not a blender. A blender crushes the leaves, they release their juice, and instead of distinct green flecks you get a murky, watery green paste.
Finely chopped and completely dry — the two conditions for good butter.Cream the butter
Beat the soft butter with a spoon or mixer until fluffy. It must be genuinely soft — cold butter will not take the herbs and leaves green pockets in the log.
Ingredients: 250 g butter · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper · ½ pcs lemon
Fold in the herbs and season
Mix in the herbs, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice. Taste and season assertively — the round melts over meat or potatoes and its flavour spreads across the whole portion.
Ingredients: 250 g butter · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper · ½ pcs lemon
Roll into a log
Divide the mixture in two and spoon each half onto a sheet of parchment in a long line. Roll it up and twist the ends like a sweet wrapper, pressing the log into an even cylinder. Add an outer layer of film if it is going in the freezer.
Ingredients: 250 g butter · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper · ½ pcs lemon
Twisting the ends packs the butter into an even cylinder.Chill and store
Refrigerate for 2 hours until firm. Keep it in the fridge for a week at most — raw garlic and fresh herbs in fat should not sit around for long, and never at room temperature. It keeps 3 months in the freezer. Slice rounds straight from frozen, no thawing needed.
Ingredients: 250 g butter · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper · ½ pcs lemon
Before you start
Flavour variations
Anchovy and tarragon for steak, coriander and lime for fish, smoked paprika and chilli for grilled corn.
How much per portion
A 1 cm round is enough for one steak or a serving of potatoes. The two logs give about 25 rounds in total.
For bread
Spread it between the slices of a scored loaf and bake 12 minutes at 180 °C — garlic bread with no separate recipe.