Garlic & Herb Compound Butter The Secret Weapon of Fine Dining Restaurants

Garlic & Herb Compound Butter
The Secret Weapon of Fine Dining Restaurant

One of the reasons that restaurant food sometimes tastes better than food made at home. But today we’ll show¬¬¬¬ you how to make garlic & herb compound butter for your kitchen.

Here is what you will need

For the Garlic Butter
1 Stick Unsalted Butter
2 Tablespoons of Italian Parsley
2 Tablespoons of Fresh Thyme
2 Tablespoons of Fresh Chopped Chives
2 Tablespoons of Fresh Chopped Scallions (Green Onions)
1 Teaspoon of Minced Garlic
½ Teaspoon of Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon of Salt (optional)

For the Utensils
A Large Bowl
A Tablespoon and Spatula
A Knife and Cutting Board
A Sheet of Plastic Food Wrap

Our first step is to cut the butter into small pieces and put it into a bowl. Don’t melt it! We need the butter to stay solid so that we can roll it up in the plastic wrap later. The smaller pieces will help us to mix the butter with the ingredients as they are added into the bowl.

Next, we’ll pull the leaves of the Italian parsley off of the stems. Once we’re done, we’ll chop and mince the parsley up and add it into our bowl of butter.

We’ll do the same for the fresh thyme. We don’t want the stems in the herb butter, so grab the top of the thyme and squeeze the small leaves off of the stem. Since these are so small, there is no need to chop them up with your knife; you can put the thyme leaves right into your bowl.

Chop and mince up the chives, scallions, and garlic, and add them to the bowl of butter.

Add in the fresh cracked black pepper from a peppermill. You’ll get a much better flavor if you crack and grind the peppercorns yourself. Although pepper typically lasts a long time, there is a noticeably fresher taste when you grind it yourself from a peppermill.

The salt is optional; most meat especially steaks, and seasoned with salt before they are cooked, so you don’t want too much salt. This is where you will need to experiment as you go.

Mix all of the ingredients together. If you find that the butter is still too cold to manage, put it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds on half power; remember that you don’t want to melt the butter; you just want it to be soft.

Use a tablespoon and spatula to put the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Spread the herb butter out evenly, then pull the wrap over the herb butter and begin to roll it up, holding the ends of the plastic wrap, so that it compresses into a log shape.

Fold the ends of the plastic over and the herb butter is ready for the refrigerator. Refrigerate it for at least two hours and you’ll be ready to use it. The herb butter will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator or 22 years in the freezer!

Roll the herb butter into a log and refrigerate it for at least two hours.

When your entrée is ready to serve, add a piece of the herb butter on top and let it melt as you serve the plate to your guest.

And wallah! You have just learned the secret weapon of fine dining restaurants!

It was delicious.

Until next time,
Bon Appetit.
Ciao,
Mark

The Kitchen of Chef Mark
a division of Mark Phillips Media