Herb Butter Recipe

Herbs are incredible! We love them for their bountiful flavor and abundant health benefits. Herb Butter is a delicious way to use fresh herbs at home. When you have a bountiful harvest, mixing fresh chopped herbs into butter is a great way to preserve them, since herb butter can be frozen. Serve homemade herb butter on sautéed vegetables or steamed corn, with bread or pasta, and add flavor to steak, chicken, rice, and more.

Ingredients

1 cup (packed) fresh herb leaves (such as basil, parsley, cilantro, or thyme)
1/2 small garlic clove
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Directions

In a food processor fitted with a blade, add the herbs and garlic. Pulse until finely chopped. Add softened butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice and process until smooth; season with salt and pepper. (If you don't have a food processor, you can also use a fork to thoroughly mix butter, herbs, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl.)
Transfer to a small bowl. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.
To store, transfer butter to a freezer-friendly tupperware container, or, shape into a roll and wrap carefully in wax paper. Butter can be frozen for up to a year, but we recommend 3-6 months for the best flavor.

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Herbs

Recipe Copyright Ellen Ecker Ogden, Author of The Complete Kitchen Garden and used with exclusive permission. For more information, please visit: ellenogden.com.