Garlic Butter, Parsley and Garlic Butter, Lemon, Parsley and Garlic Butter

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Exceedingly quick to make and very easy to freeze and store, flavoured butters are one of the most useful condiments to have available. I ensure I have a stock of butters ready to go all year round, but they are particularly useful in barbecue season.

Try adding some garlic or herb butter on top of a simply grilled steak, chicken or fish and you can transform a very quick but possibly quite dull and/or dry meal into something rather special, bursting with flavour, moisture and colour.

You can also use the butter to make garlic or garlic and herb breads, serve with baked jacket potatoes or stir through some pasta for a quick meal, perhaps with some chilli and sliced tomatoes.

For the recipes in this post, I am taking one 250g block of butter and making:

• garlic butter
• parsley and garlic butter
• lemon, parsley and garlic butter

However, use your imagination and make some different butters using your favourite herbs and spices such as:

• coriander, garlic and red chilli
• garlic and rosemary
• dill and lemon
• curry powder
• garlic and cumin
• smoked paprika and garlic
• basil and finely chopped sun-dried tomato
• tarragon and lemon
• chives and garlic
• oregano, garlic and lemon
• thyme and lemon

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How to make Flavoured Butter

I like to whip the butter before mixing with the herbs but, if you prefer, you can simply mix well and add the additional ingredients. Either way, you must remember to take the butter out of the fridge an hour or two before you use it so it can come to room temperature. (This will depend on your room temperature.) If you forget to do this, chop into around 8 equal size pieces and microwave for 10 – 15 seconds at a time. Be careful not to over do it though as you want to soften it, not melt it.

Collect all your ingredients together and whip the butter

• unsalted butter
• garlic
• parsley
• grated lemon zest
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Whip the butter with an electric whisk until it is light and creamy – this will take you around 3 – 4 minutes.

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Make the Garlic Butter

Fold in the garlic and salt and pepper. Remove ⅓ of this and transfer to some cling film. Use the cling film to help you roll it into a sausage shape. (See the pictures below.)

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Make the Parsley and Garlic Butter

To the remaining ⅔, add the parsley. Remove ½ of this and transfer to some cling film. Use the cling film to help you roll it into a sausage shape. (See the pictures below.)

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Make the Lemon, Parsley and Garlic Butter

To the remaining butter, add the grated lemon zest. Transfer to some cling film and roll it into a sausage shape. (See the pictures below.)

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Don’t forget: label them!

Lemon, Parsley and Garlic Butter looks almost identical to Parsley and Garlic Butter – make sure you know which one is which!

Slice and freeze

Carefully put the very soft sausage shaped butters into the fridge to harden. When hardened, unwrap the clingfilm and slice into 5mm thick slices. Lay out on a baking parchment lined baking tray (making sure you know which ones are which), cover with cling film and place in the freezer until solid. Transfer to labelled cartons or bags and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

All you have to do now is remember to take it out of the freezer to soften a little before you use it. It will only need 5 – 10 minutes depending on the room temperature.

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NB There are fewer of the Lemon, Parsley and Garlic Butter on the right as we ate it on some salmon that evening!