DIY Foodie Gifts For the Holidays: Herb Butters

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Amelie Rousseau, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Herb Butter via iStock

Do you ever bore yourself to tears shopping for one-size-fits-all gifts of cheap merlot and scented hand sanitizer? Think past the ubiquitous and mildly offensive gifting of hygiene products for something that most people not only use but really love: Butter! Herb butters are affordable enough to make for your whole office, while still super quick to assemble.

With the November winds blowing down our fleece-lined collars, herb butters allow you to clip and save aromatic garden herbs that will quickly disappear once the heavy morning frosts set in. Use one cup of butter (two sticks) to one cup chopped fresh herbs. Dried herbs can also be substituted for fresh. Punch up their flavor by soaking dried herbs in a bit of lemon juice for 2 hours. Strain the lemon juice out or leave it in for a flavorful tang to your butter. Have vegan friends? Earth Balance Vegan Butter will infuse just as well as the real thing.

Ingredients can be mixed in a small food processor, but its just as simple to do it by hand. Simply grate chilled butter on a cheese grater and mash the herbs into it. It doesn’t need to be perfectly homogenized, the pretty streaks and swirls you’ll make are part of its homemade charm. Put the butter on a sheet of saran wrap and press into a log shape, twisting up the ends. And you’re done in under ten minutes! Logs can be frozen for up to 6 months. Another option is to scoop retro butter balls with a melon baller and freeze into convenient individual servings. For a special touch to take to a holiday party, cut chilled butter into curls, rounds, or squares.

These infused butters can also be used to stretch rich ingredients like sundried tomatoes, saffron, or truffles. There’s no end to possible flavor combinations. Here are GoLocalPDX’s top five flavors to get you started:

1. Sundried Tomato and Basil Butter: Two words: Garlic bread. Smear french bread slices with this indulgent stuff, add a thick layer of minced garlic and bake face up until toasted. Marriage proposals to follow.

2. Lemony Herb: Mix and match any combination of savory herbs like tarragon, parsley, sage, chives, dill or chervil. Use on meats, fish, or vegetables, or even under the skin of a Thanksgiving turkey. Also delicious on cheese and egg dishes.

3. Chipotle Lime butter: Add the juice of one lime, some lime zest and some ground chipotle powder. This spicy butter is delicious on shrimp, corn on the cob, or roasted winter squash.

4. Ginger-Cilantro butter: Mix into soba noodles or on jasmine rice for an elegant Asian inspired meal. A cube of grated ginger and a handful of cilantro into a stick of butter will take a steak of salmon to a whole new level.

5. Orange Honey Butter: Have a sweet tooth? Mix 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp orange rind zest and 1 tbsp orange juice concentrate into one stick of butter. If you would like, add a tsp of cinnamon. Orange honey butter is delicious on baked goods and oatmeal to warm up on cold mornings.

Stick some PC snowflaked labels on your butter logs and smile smugly as you bite into that third piece of herb-buttered toast. Fair thee be warned, once you start flavor creating, you might find it difficult to give these luscious butter logs away.

(This is part one of a six part series on DIY foodie gifts).