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Adding Garlic Herb Compound Butter to a Juicy Steak is the easiest way to take your meal to the next level. While you're steak is resting slice a medallion of homemade compound butter and place it on top of your steak. all that buttery goodness will cascade down the sides of that steak raising the bar of beefy deliciousness.
At the tail end of fall before the first frost I always make sure I go out to my herb garden and pick all my herbs before they get killed by the frost. depending on the what's left I take all the herbs and give them a rinse then let them dry on some paper towels. You can use any herbs you like and the flavor combinations will change based on what herbs you use to make your compound butter. Obviously you can make compound butter in the spring and summer or anytime of year if you move your herbs inside. I seem to always wait until the last minute to make mine taking my herb garden for granted.
If you don’t have a garden you can buy your herbs at any market but if you must use dry herbs you’ll want to cut the recipe in half and use a 2-1 ratio of dry parsley to other herbs. I highly recommend fresh herbs though if at all possible. You can use any combination of herbs but some do go better with different meats. If you just want a basic all purpose butter then this one is perfect. Looking for more for seafood and chicken? You can add the juice and zest of one lemon and add a bit of extra thyme. If you’re using this with beef or pork you can add a tablespoon of Worcestershire and go heavy on the rosemary. I definitely recommend playing around with the recipe and customize it however you like.
Any herbs you like can be used to make compound butter but some herbs should be used in larger quantities than others. Herbs like rosemary and dill can be very strong flavors that can overpower the butter while herbs like parsley and chive are much more subtle and can be used in larger amounts. Once you gathered and rinsed the herbs keep them separated so you can decide how much of each you want to use. I normally start with the parsley and chive then start chopping the thyme, basil and oregano and finish with small amounts of the dill and rosemary. Play with the ratios until you find a blend you like. Mint, lavender and tarragon are a few herbs I do not recommend for making this compound butter because the flavor profile doesn't match well with steak.
It's very important to let the butter come up to room temperature before mixing in your other ingredients. Do not melt the butter over heat because in liquid for all the ingredients will sink to the bottom as the butter solidifies. if you are in a rush microwave the butter for no more than 10 seconds at a time and just long enough that it begins to soften.
When chopping your herbs make sure you have removed any woody pieces and all of the stems so that you have any unpleasant surprises when eating your steak. Finely chop the herbs and make sure the herbs are all about the same size and consistency. Finally you can add in any additional seasonings or flavors before letting the butter set for 10 minutes in the fridge to set up.
Lay out a large piece of Plastic wrap and place some of the compound butter out in the center horizontally. then fold in the top and bottom of the plastic wrap before twisting up the sides. next you'll grab the twisted sides and begin rolling the butter on the counter tightening the cylinder each time until the butter has been formed into a tight evenly rolled log. almost like a sausage. Immediately place the compound butter in the fridge to fully cool and form its shape.
