Chef Lynn's Cooking Diary

Archive for the ‘Dairy’ Category

HERB BUTTERS

Here’s how:

Use unsalted butter soften at room temperature

Add two tablespoons finely chopped herbs to ½ cup (1/4 lb/1 stick) butter. Combine with fork or electric beater. Do not whip. Form into log on wax paper, roll up and refrigerate until firm. May be frozen in freezer for up to three months.

Presentation tips:

• Slice log or butter into rounds
• Use a melon baller to form balls.
• Flatten between wax paper and use mini cookie or canapé’ cutters to form decorative pats.

Herbs and seasonings to try:

• Parsley or cilantro for seafood and breads
• Basil, oregano, garlic, grated parmesan (½ tsp each per ¼ lb) for Italian garlic bread.
• Tarragon (1 tsp per ¼ lb) for seafood, mushrooms
• Lemon or lime juice (few drops per ¼ lb) for seafood (add slowly so mixture will not separate).
• Honey and mustard (1 tsp each per ¼ lb) for ham or chicken basting or as a sauce
• Honey butter (3 tbs. per ¼ lb) for bread, toast

Savory Basil Butter

Yogurt is a useful ingredient but does not always respond well to heating. High-fat yogurts are more stable, but it is possible to stabilize a low-fat yogurt by stirring in a little cornstrach, first blended into a paste with water, before cooking.

Chef Lynn Ware is a private/personal chef, culinary educator, and food blogger. Chef Lynn offers: Corporate Cooking Classes, Group Cooking Parties, Private Cooking Lessons and Gourmet Catering. Contact Chef Lynn (ChefLynn@ChefLynn.com) for additional information.