Making Compound Butters

Whether you buy a nice hearty bread from the deli or you make it yourself, you can easily make several flavorful butters for any pallate. You can make butter from scratch, buy store butter, Amish butter, Irish butter... OR USE margarine if you can't have dairy and then add in your own fun.
I use a basic recipe of approximately 2:1,  so half cup butter gets 1/4 cup add-ins, a whole cup gets 1/2 cup add ins. Now this is a basic recipe and can change depending on what you add and how strong the flavors are.  I like doing 1/2 cup butters because they get used up before the fresh add-ins go off. You can use less or more of anything to suit your tastes.

Now: These go beyond fall harvest, but that's because we all like butter, all year. these are just a few I do that I thought of off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll add more LOL!

To make  your own butter you need:

• stand mixer, hand mixer, ninja, bullet, or blender, or a jar with a tight fitting lid
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• rubber spatula/scraper
• ice water

Directions:
It'll take a while, 5-10 minutes, and if you are using a jar and shaking t by hand it'll take longer, but it is a fun family activity.

1. Shake, mix, or blend, First soft peaks will form, (add a little fine sugar and vanilla here and you have whipped cream!) then the cream will start breaking. It'll slosh. This is the buttermilk breaking away from the solids.
2. When it feels like it's not separating any more, scrape it into a ball and drain buttermilk. It can be saved for baking or drank! Then rinse the butter with ice water.
3. Repeat process until it's clear when you rinse it.
4. Add in light salt and stir for standard butter or create compound butters.

Compound Butters

To create compound butters combine the ingredients well, and store in small sealed containers or wrap in plastic wrap and roll into a log. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks, remove 1 hr before using.
Garlic Herb Butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2-4 cloves garlic, pasted (mince, lightly salt, and mash with the back of your knife)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, tarragon, rosemary etc)

Honey Butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 local honey

Spiced Sweet Butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tsp sugar or sugar substitute
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon. to taste
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, optional

Fresh Berry Butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup mashed berries, or combination of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc (do not drain, but whip well into butter))
• 1 tsp sugar or sugar substitute, if needed

Lemon Poppy Seed Butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• all juice from one large lemon
• 1/2-1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tsp sugar or sugar substitute, or not, to taste

Herbed Cheese Butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup soft cheese (I like goat cheese)
• 1 clove roasted garlic, pasted
• chopped fresh parsley to taste
• salt to taste

Tex-Mex Herbed Cheese Butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 c cojita or queso fresco
• chopped fresh cilantro, to taste
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• salt to taste
• diced, smashed jalapeno, fresh or pickled, to taste (optional)
• 2 tbsp drained green chilis, to taste (optional, these are NOT hot)

I'm sure there's more to come, but for now: