In my book Simply Herbaceous, I have a couple of recipes for compound butter, which is a fun way to experiment with herbs and edible flowers. Having a very large rosemary bush in my garden, I’ve found that the flowers are pretty and have rosemary flavor without the herb’s sometimes stiff texture.
Since the bush is in full bloom, I had to take advantage of those sweet little flowers, so I made this cute single stick of compound butter.
Because compound butter is pretty much standing on its own, I usually indulge in high-quality, extra-creamy, European-style butter. I don’t care so much when the flavor can get lost with a bunch of other ingredients, but this is an instance where you can taste the difference.
I also used a touch of thyme and a few mint leaves because I had them. What I love about compound butter is you can use whatever you want and what you already have. Usually, I blend the butter by hand, but this time, I used the stand mixer, which quickly softened and blended it even though it was cold. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can do it by hand—just leave the butter out to soften for a while.
Then, adding a few garnishes of violas and tiny leaves makes it even more appealing.
Rosemary Mint Compound Herb Butter
- 1 stick of good-quality butter
- 1 tsp fresh minced rosemary
- 2 tsp rosemary flowers
- ½ tsp thyme leaves
- 1 tsp minced mint leaves
- Edible flowers for garnish
Place the butter into the bowl using a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment on low to cream the butter. Keeping the mixer on low setting, add the herbs and rosemary flower, scraping the sides down as you go.
When all is incorporated, scrape the butter into a piece of plastic film and shape it as you desire. (Shaping it into a roll is easiest.) If it’s very soft, it may be hard to handle. Just put it into the fridge for a few minutes and try again. Once it’s shaped, decorate as desired with edible flowers and herb leaves.
Return to the fridge and let it solidify. When ready to serve, carefully smooth it with your bare hands—the warmth will help you smooth it. Serve with bread and/or crackers.
Makes ½ cup.
