Lemon Garlic Compound Butter with Parsley or Thyme Recipe - Eat Simple Food

Recipe: https://eatsimplefood.com/lemon-parsl...

This delicious lemon, parsley, garlic butter is easy to make and fantastic slathered on corn, vegetables, chicken, steak, beans, or fish.

What is compound butter?
Compound butter is an easy and simple way to "up your butter game". It is basically room temperature soft (but not melted) butter that is mixed with other ingredients.

Compound butter is simply mixing herbs, spices, liquids, or other ingredients with soft butter. It is then wrapped in parchment paper usually in the shape of a log, placed in the refrigerator, and used as needed.

In this case, lemon, parsley, garlic compound butter is just that. Room temperature butter mixed with minced garlic and parsley, a wee bit of salt, and lemon zest and lemon juice.

Form the lemon, parsley, and garlic compound butter into a log on some parchment paper and roll it tightly (see video). If you're in a hurry or don't have parchment paper or aluminum foil, then just place in a bowl in the refrigerator.

Compound butters can be used right away without forming but taste better once the ingredients have had to time to mingle with each other while chilling. 👍

What can I use Lemon Garlic Parsley Compound Butter On?
Compound butter recipes are easy to make and versatile to cook with. They freeze well and stay good in the refrigerator ~ 1 week and in the freezer for 3-4 months.

Compound butters can be used on steak, chicken, fish, shellfish, vegetables, and breads like sandwiches or toasts. They are also fantastic for a simple pasta dish by mixing a couple tabs with hot cooked pasta.

How do I use Lemon, Parsley, Garlic Compound Butter?
Use it by adding a tab on your favorite piece of meat (steak, chicken, salmon, etc) or vegetable or pasta either before or after baking / cooking.

For example, if you decide to pan fry shrimp or chicken in the butter, there will be a nice browned caramelization to the dish because the chicken is cooking in the butter and the higher heat is producing that caramelization.

Another example, is that you finish off the recipe with a tab of butter after it's cooking. That's a "cleaner" or more pure taste as the butter is not reacting as much to the heat. It's a more subtle taste.

Adding a room temperature slathering to a piece of toast or on a sandwich would also be delicious. The ingredients of the compound butter will shine.

While tossing it in hot pasta and letting the pasta melt it will also be a a "rawer" and cleaner feeling since the heating is minimal from the pasta. Hope that makes sense 🙂

What are other compound butter recipe examples?
Compound butters can be savory or sweet. This lemon garlic butter is an example of savory. My chili lime honey compound butter is an example of a sweeter butter (although it's still savory too).

Other examples of fun compound butters are: horseradish, lemon, and chive butter; pureed truffle butter; bacon onion butter; tarragon caper compound butter; sun dried tomato and dill compound butter; cinnamon brown sugar butter, and cranberry orange butter.

Again, the possibilities are endless so have a lot of fun playing and exploring and find your own favorite compound butter recipe.

Lemon Garlic Compound Butter FAQS

How long does compound butter last in the fridge?
It really depends what you put in your compound butter. Compound butters with fresh herbs will last ~ 5 days in the refrigerator and 3-4 months in the freezer. Compound butters with less perishable items like just lemon or lemon zest can last 8-12 days in the fridge and 3-4 months in the freezer. Use your nose and tastebuds 🙂

Can compound butter be frozen?
Yup! A general rule is 3-4 months, but just look at the expiration date of the butter that you're using and freeze it to that time table. Defrost and eat.

Makes ½ cup or 1 stick

Ingredients:
• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
• zest from one lemon
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup parsley, minced
• 1 small garlic clove, minced and smashed to a paste
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

• Allow butter to soften at room temperature.

• Mince garlic and then press into a paste. You can use a garlic press for this or use the back of your knife and carefully smash down garlic with a little salt.

• When soft add all ingredients to a bowl and mix (by hand or food processor) to incorporate.

• Lay out a piece of parchment paper and form a log. Tightly roll and twist to seal. There may be some excess lemon juice that won’t incorporate. Don’t worry about it, but put the butter log on a plate so it doesn’t leak on your refrigerator.

• Refrigerate for ~ 2 hours or freeze for 20 minutes if slicing.

• Good for a couple weeks in the refrigerator or 4 months in the freezer. Happy buttery goodness! Beckie