It’s time to get into Thanksgiving mode! The house full of relatives, the smell of pumpkin pie, and post turkey naps are just around the corner. Add something extra to the table this year with not so much effort. Today, Charlotte Parent featured Effortless Girl and how to make homemade flavored butters! Butter makes recipes delicious. I’m talking about the genuine, from-the-cow, whole dairy ingredient. Yes, butter is high in saturated fat (sigh) but by practicing a bit of moderation, butter can be enjoyed without the dollop of guilt. I decided to experiment with butter and made three flavored butters. The time investment is about 20 minutes or so for all three.
The flavors are Blueberry Maple with Lemon Zest, Honey Cinnamon, and Garlic Parsley with Asiago Cheese. Blueberry Maple and Cinnamon Honey are DELICIOUS on morning pancakes or muffins and Garlic Parsley is a savory spread perfect for potatoes and vegetables or a hot piece of fresh bread!
The ingredients are in the photo above. I started with blueberries, maple syrup, lemons, honey, ground pepper, cinnamon, garlic cloves, fresh parsley, and Asiago cheese. Oh, and don’t forget the plain stick butter!
Using a heaping 1/4 c to 1/3 c blueberries – pour into a bowl and zest lemon on top. I used about 1/2 of the lemon for zest. I like lemon but you may use less. Make sure there is little blueberry juice in the bowl. Add one tbsp Maple Syrup to the mix. Mix ingredients well. Crush the berries with the bottom of the spoon. You could use a food processor, but I wanted chunks of ingredients in the butter. It’s up to you. Next using one stick of softened butter, blend the ingredients together.
Once the ingredients are incorporated as butter, place the butter onto a piece of wax or parchment paper. Roll the paper around the butter into a roll shape. Twist the ends and place into refrigerator overnight to chill.
The Honey Cinnamon is easy. Place one stick of softened butter into a Pyrex measuring container. I love Cinnamon so I added one heaping tbsp of cinnamon. Use as much or as little as you like. Next add one heaping tbsp of honey to the mix. Incorporate the ingredients together by mixing them well. Then repeat the steps above, place the mixture onto parchment or wax paper. Twist the ends and into the refrigerator the butter goes to chill.
Finally the garlic parsley butter – begin with one stick of butter that is softened.. Place into a small bowl. Using a fine grater or zester, grate the hard cheese over the butter. I used 1 tbsp of Asiago Cheese. Next chop 4-5 cloves of garlic very well and add to butter. You may use more or less depending on your propensity for garlic. Chop parsley onto the bowl also. I used about one handful of fresh parsley. Then about 1 tsp of ground pepper will finish the recipe. Stir the ingredients and butter very well. Finally repeat the rolling technique with the parchment paper and butter.
Allow the butters to chill in the refrigerator overnight. I think these would make a great hostess gift or any kind of gift in a decorative jar or container. You could make a delicious gift basket with fresh butter and a loaf of homemade bread also. With winter right around the corner, this is a delicious and most welcome treat for your family and friends.