COMPOSED BUTTERS
In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, Julia Child instructs us that “The butter must always be creamed or beaten before flavoring is added to it. You can blend the butter to a cream in an electric beater, pound it in a bowl with a pestle, or mash it, a bit at a time, with the back of a wooden spoon, then beat it vigorously until it is light and creamy. Then the flavorings and the butter are creamed together, and the mixture is put in a cool place to firm up. If it is refrigerated, it will become as hard as an ordinary piece of chilled butter.”
Chris Schlesinger adds, in The Thrill of the Grill, that “Compound butters are a quick, easy way to add a little dash to grilled fish but still let the fish be the focus. They are easy to make and you can roll them into tubes, cover them with plastic wrap, put them in the freezer, and then just cut slices the size you need. A small pat on top of your fish or chicken will melt and spread its flavor over the food. Don’t forget that herb butters are a good way to use those remaining fresh herbs when the first frost is coming. Butters can be blended in a food processor or by hand.”
