Compound Butter
Compound butter is a mixture of butter plus herbs, spices, toasted nuts, or other flavorful ingredients. These tasty butters can be melted on top of meats or vegetables, adding a totally new dimension to your meal. This is also one way to fancy up a simple dinner for company—a slice of compound butter on your Perfect Oven Baked Salmon is sure to impress.
compound butter
Serves 4 to 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cool Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, clarified; or ½ cup ghee
- ¼ cup hazelnuts
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
✪Pro Tip Some of our favorite compound butter combinations include: ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, ¼ cup black olives, pitted, and 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves; ¼ cup minced fresh parsley, ¼ cup toasted pine nuts, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice; and 1 minced garlic clove, 2 teaspoons each fresh rosemary, oregano, and chives. Make sure all the ingredients are finely minced.
Place the clarified butter or ghee in a small bowl and leave on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
Heat a dry pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the hazelnuts and cook, shaking the pan often to prevent burning, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the hazelnuts to a cutting board, allow to cool, then chop.
Gently fold the chopped hazelnuts, garlic, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper into the softened butter or ghee. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and place the butter mixture in the center. Form into a rough log, about 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the butter and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. You can do this ahead of time if prepping for an event or dinner party—compound butter using fresh ingredients will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.