The Corner 4 Women Article Forum

[TC4Women]

Have You Tried Making Herb Butter From Garden Herbs?
By Sandra Miracle

Although you have been served an herbed butter in a restaurant and really enjoyed it, you have often wondered how to make that delicious butter! Well, it is not as hard as it looks and you too can make herb butter....and....improve the taste of your food and impress your guests!

Making an herbed butter is a relatively simple process. The hardest decision that has to be made is what flavor to impart to the food you are serving. The first step to a delicious herb butter is to soften the butter - now you are on your way to adding the herbs. The amount of herbs added is usually a personal decision on how much of the flavor the herb you want to shine. I have listed below a few suggestions, but the fun of making herb butters is to experiment and come up with your very own creation - a stamp to your culinary creations!

Vegetables: add fresh or dried parsley, chives, rosemary, dill, basil, oregano, marjoram or thyme. Any combination will shine on vegetables.

Pasta: add fresh or dried parsley, rosemary, oregano, tarragon or thyme. Try a few combination's and allow the diners to choose their own blend. Add a splash of lemon juice for a zing. Try some minced garlic and Parmesan cheese.

Breads: Lavender, oregano, dill, thyme or lemon balm. Create a savory or sweet blend. Add some honey or rose water to the sweet blends. Add pepper to the savory butter blend. Try a combination of lavender and thyme.

Seafood: Cilantro, tarragon, parsley or dill. Add lemon or lime juice to the butter for a zing.

Red meats: Parsley, oregano, cilantro or mint. Try adding minced garlic, mustard, pepper, even a splash of brandy or bourbon.

Spices may also be added in combination with the herbs, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger or any combination that appeals!

Once your herb butter is blended, shape into a cylinder or ball and wrap it in wax paper or saran wrap. Refrigerate until it is time to serve. If you are feeling creative, butter molds may be purchased - they come in all shapes and sizes. There are little molds that look like cobs of corn, serve that up with corn on the cob or rose shaped butters for scones. I have used candy molds in the shape of Santa's for the holiday season. This is an area you can be as creative as you want. Herb butters will freeze well up to about 6 months, so make some ahead to pull out for any special event or unexpected company! Have fun with it.

Sandra is a gardening enthusiast, and enjoys helping others get the best out of their herb gardens. Her newest book, teaches gardeners everything they need to know about starting, maintaining and getting the most out of their Herb Gardens. For more great information on herb gardens, visit http://www.secretstogrowingherbs.com
_________________
TC4Women.com http://TC4Women.com, and TheCorner4Women.com http://TheCorner4Women.com have continued motivating & empowering women, in the home, for business, health & leisure since January 2006 to the present day.