Fresh Herbs & Compound Butter

fresh herbs

herbs

 

garden tags

Spring is here and my herb garden is coming back to life.  With this extra sunshine we’ve been having, they’ve perked up and grew a little taller and fuller.  Here I have put together a little sampling of herbs displayed on a cake stand and wrapped a few in parchment paper attached with custom tags {found here} using double sided tape.   It’s always wonderful to share with others what you grow in the garden.

{Free Printable Garden Tags, click here}

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.herbs for the garden

Fresh herbs in cooking is by far the best choice {see Compound Butter recipe below}.  My four favorite herb plants I use again and again from my garden are Italian parsley, basil, lavender and mint {not shown in the picture}.  Another reason for growing herbs is for decorating.  Instead of fresh flowers, add a pretty green bouquet of parsley next to the kitchen sink, mint in the bathroom or silver sage displayed in simple containers down the center of the table.  Herbs are hardy plants and easy to care for.  Give it a try if you have never grown them.

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compound butter, herb & lemon

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compound butter, herb & lemon

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Herb Lemon Compound Butter 

Ingredients

8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
salt and  freshly ground black pepper

Directions

 Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.  Add salt and ground black pepper to taste.    Scoop it all onto the plastic wrap or divide the mixture in half {about 4 Tablespoons each}.  Roll the plastic wrap around it to form a cylinder then twist the ends closed.   Then wrap it in parchment paper, twist the two ends and tie the ends with twine.  Refrigerate until the butter is firm {about 2 hours} or put in the freezer to be used at a later date.

* Butter mixed with other ingredients {herb & spices, vanilla, honey, nuts, garlic, olives, sundried tomatoes, etc…} is known as compound butter.  It adds flavor to seafood, meat, bread and vegetables.

 

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posted by: Kay                   9

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9 Responses to Fresh Herbs & Compound Butter

  1. Lori @ A Bright and Beautiful Life May 21, 2013 at 1:40 am #

    Your herbs and presentation are lovely. And what a great idea to package them up so nicely for sharing. I’m printing out your labels to share some of mine. And your butter ~ that looks heavenly. I make a similar recipe sometimes and we love it ~ especially in hamburgers. Yum.

    • Swan May 21, 2013 at 8:31 am #

      I never thought of using herb butter in hamburgers, I will have to try it. Thanks Lori.

  2. Deb oConnell July 30, 2013 at 8:40 am #

    I LOVE fresh herbs!! Your pictures are just beautiful! Try cutting up fresh sage leaves and tossing them with watermelon. It is excellent. Deb

    • Kay July 30, 2013 at 9:29 am #

      Thanks Deb, I will try that tonight.

  3. Julie July 30, 2013 at 9:18 pm #

    I LOVE how you bundled your herbs to give away. What a great idea/presentation. We definitely have more basil and rosemary than we know what to do with so this will be a great way to pass along the goodness!

  4. Leela November 26, 2015 at 10:09 pm #

    Hi, I was just wondering how long this lasts in the fridge? Thanks!

    • Kay November 27, 2015 at 8:20 am #

      Hi Leela,
      There are many answers to this question, some have said over 7 days in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer. I personally like to use it within 3-4 days when stored in the refrigerator or up to a month in the freezer.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

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