I vividly remember seeing my chives, seemingly dead, brown and unusable. My Mom, owner of the family green thumb award, reminded me that chives are prehistoric and just about unkillable. They might not quite be prehistoric (though if they aren’t, they’re pretty darn close), but they are just about unkillable. I watered them as per her instructions and, sure enough, they were right as rain. As a member of the garlic family, they’re also extremely tasty — they go very well with mashed potoatoes, soups (especially with seafood), chicken, and, funnily enough, butter. So grab that butter (softened!) and cut those chives! We’re making chive compound butter!
What is Compound Butter and How do I Use It?
Compound butter is butter mixed with another ingredient. It’s never been easier to do than it is today with modern standing mixers and food processors (it literally takes 5 minutes — more on that in a minute). Plain and simple. You can make it with honey, lemon, garlic, and, of course, chives! Compound butter is useful because it allows you to add extra flavor and depth to whatever dish you’re making. Use it anywhere that you would use butter normally. I personally find that the flavor given from a compound butter is more herb-like than just using butter and adding in herbs after. And as a bonus, compound butters are beautiful, appearing either lush and creamy or flecked with enticing herbs.
Back to how fast you can make compound butter. From start to finish, including cleanup, you really can be done in 5 minutes. That’s because making the butter is as easy as putting softened butter into your standing mixer or food processor along with any ingredients you wish to add (chopped, if necessary) and let it go for about 3 minutes, give or take. Done.
Price Breakdown
Stores sell this stuff for exorbitant prices (per pound). It’s tough to pinpoint the exact cost because of the many variations on compound butter and no exact correlation to this recipe, but regardless, you can make 4 pounds of this stuff for under 15 dollars. For that price and the extremely quick process, making it at home is a no brainer. That’s the whole point of gourmet food independence through a DIY attitude. Faster, better, cheaper.
- 1 pound softened butter
- 6 oz. fresh chives
- Mince chives
- Blend in food processor for 2-3 minutes
- Serve
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