Herbes de Provence Compound Butter with Edible Flowers
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Herbes de Provence is one of my favorite herbal blends! I love its romantic aroma, which is led by the powerful scent of lavender and oregano. This incredibly fragrant herbal blend from France creates an especially flavorful compound butter. The addition of edible flowers brings a magical and fantastical ambience to your final presentation.
Compound butter, or butter mixed with fresh herbs or other add-ins, pairs wonderfully with meat as a rub, for sautéing vegetables, flavoring a sauce, topping a piece of warm sourdough, or serving over a freshly grilled steak.
what is compound butter?
Compound butter is a French cooking technique where softened butter is creamed with additional ingredients such as herbs, garlic, vegetables, bone marrow, animal fat, citrus, honey, etc. Compound butter is an excellent cooking tool that adds a lot of flavor to a dish and saves you time in the kitchen. For instance, in a recipe where butter and garlic are needed, the combination is already made and ready to slice and use!
what is herbes de provence?
I started cooking with Herbes de Provence early in my cooking career have used it ever since. The blend comes from the Provence region in the south of France. It became popularized by Julia Child in one of her recipes, Poulet Sauté aux Herbes de Provence, or chicken in an herbal white wine sauce. The addition of lavender is an American tradition, which I assume has to do with the French being known for their gorgeous lavender fields. I think it is a beautiful mix for most meals, especially as a rub for roasted meats.
Generally, Herbes de Provence is made with a blend of marjoram, rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, savory, and bay leaves. Lavender is an American addition to this blend and is typically not added to true French versions of Herbes de Provence.
gathering ingredients for herbes de provence compound butter:
Before you begin making your Herbes de Provence Compound Butter, you will need to gather a few key ingredients. This delicious French blend of aromatic herbs can introduce you to many new herbs that you may not have tried cooking with before, elevating the flavors of your meals!
Butter. For this recipe, you will wanted to a use a salted butter. If you decide to use unsalted butter, you can add salt to the butter mixture to your taste.
Lavender. Did you know that lavender is actually not part of French blends of Herbes de Provence? It’s an American addition.
Thyme. If you cannot find fresh thyme, dried thyme leaves can be used instead. I would suggest lessening the amount of herbs to about half of the suggested amount if you are using dried herbs.
Basil. Fresh basil gives this compound butter a sweet and lovely flavor. I recommend using a Genovese variety and staying away from Thai or Lemon Basil.
Rosemary. Rosemary brings a lovely scent and flavor.
Marjoram. If marjoram is difficult to find, you can replace it with more oregano.
Savory. You can use summer or winter savory, whichever you prefer!
Pansies. The pansies are purely for decorating this delightful butter! Any edible flowers can be used.
how to use compound butter:
This Herbes de Provence Compound Butter is so beautiful you almost do not want to slice into it! But once you do, it will make a perfect addition to your meal. Here are some ideas for how to use your compound butter:
Spread It. Spread this floral flavored compound butter on toast, muffins, fresh bread, scones, biscuits, and more.
Melt It. If you enjoy cooking meat over the stove, this butter is an excellent ingredient to pair with steak, chicken, fish, or vegetables.
Stir It. Looking for a flavor boost for your pasta or rice? Stir this delightful herbal blend into your next warm pot of fettucine!
Roast It. Before your roast your next chicken or beef roast, rub it down with some of your compound butter. Don’t forget to rub under the skin for even more flavor!
final thoughts:
This Herbes de Provence Compound Butter with Edible Flowers is exceptionally easy to make. I love how absolutely beautiful it looks covered in fresh green herbs and bright purple pansies. If you love beautifully presented foods that have a variety of uses in your cooking, you will be bound to love this whimsical butter recipe. Enjoy!
xoxo Kayla
Herbes de Provence Compound Butter with Edible Flowers
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (174 g) salted butter, softened
- 2 tbsp (4 g) fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp (3 g) fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tbsp (3 g) fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 tbsp (8 g) fresh oregano, chopped
- 2 tbsp (8 g) fresh marjoram, chopped
- 2 tbsp (6 g) fresh savory, chopped
- 2 tbsp (4 g) fresh fennel leaf, chopped
- 2 tbsp (4 g) fresh bay leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp (6 g) fresh lavender leaves, chopped
- 12 fresh pansies, whole
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the butter with a wooden spoon so that is is no longer firm and blocky, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- With a wooden spoon or spatula, mix in the thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, savory, fennel leaves, bay leaves, and lavender leaves until they are well incorporated and distributed evenly throughout.
- Transfer the butter to a piece of wax paper. With your hands, shape the butter into a cylinder. Roll the butter around on the wax paper until a desired shape is formed. With your fingers, place the pansies and any extra pieces of herbs on the butter in any design that you like.
- Cover the compound butter in plastic wrap and refrigerate until solidified again, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Unwrap the butter and slice it into 1-inch (2.5-cm) thick slices, if desired. You can use this butter to top bread, as a rub on meat for roasting or grilling, or any way that you like! Store any unused butter in the refrigerator, wrapped, for about one week. Compound butter can also be frozen for about 6 months.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
319Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
