Citrus Compound Butter
Butter, despite the bad press and ill will from some, is a very good thing to cook with. In addition to great flavor, butter does add fat, which can enhance the texture, and the way food feels in the mouth. In addition to using butter in it’s natural form, you can also add in more flavor though the use of compound butters. In this recipe video, I show you how to make a citrus compound butter, by combining a couple tablespoons of butter, with the zest from a lemon, lime and orange. The zest, brings some very floral notes to your nose as it melts into the food, and a very mild citrus flavor that is absolutely great. I use the butter on milder fish, shellfish and chicken dishes, and I love it every time. Hope you enjoy it.
Recipe Overview & Keys to Success
Making a great citrus compound butter is easy, if you to pay attention to a few things:
- While not strictly needed, using room temperature butter will make the process easier. The butter mixed more easily, but it won’t effect the flavor one way or aother
- What will effect the flavor in making sure you only use the zest…not the pith. The pith of the fruit is the white peel under the skin. It’s bitter and bad tasting…so make sure you just zest the very outside layer
- Watch the ratio of zest to butter. Remember, it’s a compound butter, not zest with a touch of butter. The total zest should be about 25% of the mix…otherwise the balance will just be off, and the texture of the butter won’t be good.
RECIPE FOR CITRUS COMPOUND BUTTER
Ingredients for Citrus Compound Butter (for 2 – 3 servings)- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 lemon
- 1 lime
- 1 orange
- Before we begin, just know you can use this same technique with any citrus fruit
- Take the butter out of the fridge an put into a blow at room temperature for about 20 minutes
- Using a zester, zest the fruit (you won’t need to zest the whole service for this amount of butter) so that you have between 1/2 and 1 tablespoons in total
- Mix the zest with the butter, and stir to combine
- You can hold the compound butter in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. It also freezes well, and you can easily keep for a few weeks in the freezer
- When you’re ready to use, add a dollop to the top of the meal and allow it to melt in
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Comments (3 )