Jo-Anne van den Berg-Ohms
John Scheepers
Bantam, Connecticut
It may sound strange but these herbed butter balls are a real life saver in the kitchen for all of us short-order cooks.
Herbed Butter Balls
Unsalted butter, room temperature
Lemon zest
Garlic
Ginger root
Fresh herbs: basil, chervil, chives, dill, lemongrass, marjoram, oregano, parsley, sage, savory, tarragon or thyme
It may sound strange but these herbed butter balls are a real life saver in the kitchen for all of us short-order cooks.
In a medium mixing bowl, blend butter until soft and creamy. Add your favorite combinations of finely chopped herbs, lemon zest, minced garlic or finely grated ginger root and mix to blend. Refrigerate until almost firm.
By spoonfuls, roll the herbed butter mixture into little balls and place on a cookie sheet with sides and freeze until solid. Once frozen, remove from the cookie sheet and freeze in airtight, plastic freezer bags, labeled by “flavor” and dated. Use as you like to pan sear scallops and fish or to deglaze skillets after swordfish steaks, salmon or boneless chicken breasts: then add snow peas, asparagus tips, roasted bell peppers or whatever wonderful vegetables you have on hand to create spontaneous and easy masterpieces.
It is also nice to use your signature herbed butters on toast points for hors d’oeuvres. Don’t be shy: experiment and create different herbed butters with international flavors: French (chervil, chives, marjoram, parsley, tarragon, thyme or sage), Italian (basil, garlic, oregano, parsley, sage or savory) or Asian (chives, coriander aka cilantro, lemongrass, Siam Queen basil or grated ginger root).
John Scheepers
Bantam, Connecticut
It may sound strange but these herbed butter balls are a real life saver in the kitchen for all of us short-order cooks.
Herbed Butter Balls
It may sound strange but these herbed butter balls are a real life saver in the kitchen for all of us short-order cooks.
In a medium mixing bowl, blend butter until soft and creamy. Add your favorite combinations of finely chopped herbs, lemon zest, minced garlic or finely grated ginger root and mix to blend. Refrigerate until almost firm.
By spoonfuls, roll the herbed butter mixture into little balls and place on a cookie sheet with sides and freeze until solid. Once frozen, remove from the cookie sheet and freeze in airtight, plastic freezer bags, labeled by “flavor” and dated. Use as you like to pan sear scallops and fish or to deglaze skillets after swordfish steaks, salmon or boneless chicken breasts: then add snow peas, asparagus tips, roasted bell peppers or whatever wonderful vegetables you have on hand to create spontaneous and easy masterpieces.
It is also nice to use your signature herbed butters on toast points for hors d’oeuvres. Don’t be shy: experiment and create different herbed butters with international flavors: French (chervil, chives, marjoram, parsley, tarragon, thyme or sage), Italian (basil, garlic, oregano, parsley, sage or savory) or Asian (chives, coriander aka cilantro, lemongrass, Siam Queen basil or grated ginger root).
