Sunday, June 14, 2015

Herb Butter!

I detest being out~of~doors!!!
I detest flying insects!!!


On Crooked Creektt's Herb Garden 2014!

But, in order to have fresh herbs. . .
I braved the elements and the flying insects, 
and gathered enough herbs to make Herb Butter!!!



Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, Rosemary, 
Lemon Thyme(Regular), Lemon Thyme(Variegated) and Sweet Basil!



Sweet Basil is my all~time f a v o r i t e herb!!!



Followed closely by Flat Leaf Italian Parsley!!!


Lemon Thyme (Regular) on the left. . .
Lemon Thyme (Variegated) on the right!

Lemon Thyme not only has a beautiful variegated appearance,
it is also, a  h i g h l y fragrant herb!

Added to a stick of softened b u t t e r,
and oh, my goodness. . .something magical happens!!!



Once I bring the herbs indoors,
I keep them in running water while I clean and separate each variety.






Then,
I place them immediately into individual glasses 
filled with fresh, cool tap water.



Since I had already set the unsalted butter on the counter to soften
before I journeyed to the Herb Garden, 
I was ready to begin preparing the herbs.

* * * * * * * Tip * * * * * * *


You will find that I prepare my herbs without using any of the stems!


I am adamant about this process!!!



I prefer my herbs have the most decadent flavor from each individual herb
and have found that leaving the stem portion can make the herbs bitter!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Finely chopped Sweet Basil, Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
and the Lemon Thyme prepared and awaiting being added to the whipped butter.



Whipping the unsalted b u t t e r enhances the taste 
and gives a decadent appearance to the finished product!

I added less than 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt
to bring out the ultimate flavors of all the ingredients!



Then,
I sprinkled the individual h e r b s atop the whipped b u t t e r!


Lemon Thyme (Variegated).


Flat Leaf Italian Parsley.


Sweet Basil.




Next,
I gently folded the h e r b s into the whipped butter to combine.



Using a piece of waxed paper,
I placed the contents of the bowl into the middle of the paper
and shaped into a log.





After placing a few more pieces of Sweet Basil atop the h e r b butter,
I gently wrapped the butter and placed into the refrigerator to harden, once again.



This h e r b butter can be used on warm breads, 
for seasoning vegetables
and my all ~ time favorite. . .
place a pad of herb butter atop a freshly grilled steak, 
cover with foil and indulge!

I just repeated the process for the second stick of butter,
then placed this stick of herb butter into the freezer until needed or for gifting!


On Crooked Creektt's Herb Garden 2014!

Braving the elements and gathering herbs
in On Crooked Creektt's Herb Garden
makes all the toil involved worth every bite of this decadent herb butter!!!


Until next time. . .



On Crooked Creektt will be joining



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13 comments:

Marigene said...

Your her garden is doing great, Pat. I think my favorite herb is cilantro...I use it in not only in Mexican and Asian foods, I always use it in green salads. Even people that think they don't like cilantro always want to know what that little bit of brightness is in the salad.
I wish we would get a couple weeks of NO rain so I can finish up painting the kitchen cabinets...I have to run out to do a door when it isn't raining and hope it dries before the next downpour!
Have a great week.

Anonymous said...

HI Pat! I'm so proud of you braving the elements and creatures to tend to your herb garden, which looks lovely by the way. I'm sure the herbed butter is delish! You're so good! Thanks for popping in to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;0

Barb said...

Pat, wow, what a refreshing post. I love the beautiful green colors and taste of herbs and your butter is wonderful.

Hope your summer is going well.

Barb

Liz@ HomeandGardeningWithLiz said...

That sounds very good! I love whipped butter with a light flavoring. I bet this is great. I didn't know you didn't like the outdoors so much!

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

OMGosh Pat, I love this post!
I remember spending weekends with my Aunt growing up and she used to do this all the time! Thanks for stirring up a wonderful memory, and I'm so going to do this!

Martha said...

I love herb butter and also make it to freezer -- it's one of the way I preserve my herbs for the winter. Love tarragon butter on steak -- almost like a burnoose sauce as it melts over the steak!

Martha

bj said...

ahhh, we love herbed butter but have never actually made it...I must give it a try sometime...I love a good butter on my pancakes..biscuits or crackers. :)
Thanks for the great instructions to make it.
xoxo

Anonymous said...

Hi Pat! I needed some of your herbed butter last night on my bread! :) Hope you're enjoying summer.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

I have never had herbed butter. I am wondering why you don't just use salted butter? The combos sound very good!!! Thanks for sharing this.

Kelly said...

Oh that looks so good! I love that you made these using herbs that you grew yourself. I don't have an herb garden but would really enjoy having one I think. thanks for sharing how you made this herb butter.

xinex said...

Oh wow! I have a herb garden. I should try this, looks delicious....Christine

Christine @ Rustic-Refined said...

Love herb butter! You did a great tutorial too Pat, it almost makes me want to get back in the kitchen. Even though I just spent the last 2 hours in there...ha ha!

Karen @ karensuponthehill said...

This looks AMAZING! I have a friend that is all about healthy and organic food that I will pass this on to!
Thanks so much for sharing at Something to Talk About!
Karen