I recently came into a bumper crop of fresh herbs here in the middle of winter! What to do? Make an Herb and Chive Compound Butter!
I started out with a handful of fresh sage, maybe two dozen chives, and a large handful of curly-leaf parsley. I softened 1/2 pound of unsalted butter. The butter was beaten with a wooden spoon to smooth it out and soften it a bit more. Each herb was chopped finely and then mixed into the softened butter. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little granulated garlic to taste.
When it was all combined, I let it sit in the fridge for a few minutes and then used it to coat a spatchcocked chicken (see my post here for instructions on how to spatchcock a bird)
The rest of this delicious herbed compound butter we ate up on toast. If we hadn’t been so greedy, I could have rolled it up into parchment paper and kept it in the freezer for times when I wanted to add some fresh herbs to a dish or a sauce!
A compound butter is a fantastic way to feature fresh herbs in your cooking, and also a wonderful way to preserve their fresh taste far past their brief lifespan. Mix up your flavors and use whatever you have on hand!