Buzz
Butter is a staple in my kitchen—I always have at least two varieties ready to go—one for cooking and one for spreading. But I also like to stock up on compound butters for effortless entertaining, even if it’s just me in my living room.
Compound butters are simply butters that have been blended with other ingredients to enhance their flavor and, occasionally, texture. You can add practically anything—fruits, vegetables, cheeses, herbs, or other fats. I’ve put together a collection of my favorite flavor combinations.
Brie-infused Butter
The first time I tasted brie butter at a charming wine bar near my old place, I was completely blown away. It had a rich, velvety texture, almost like frosting. The flavor is a beautiful dance between the brie and the butter—first, the brie hits your palate, followed by a smooth, creamy buttery finish. It's also incredibly simple to make: just blend equal parts of each (room-temperature) ingredient in a food processor until smooth. (For the silkiest texture, remove the rind.)
Icelandic Yogurt-Infused Butter
Schmaltz butter
Black garlic butter
Caramelized onion butter
Garlic butter is a classic, but now it’s time to dive into caramelized onion butter. (Of course, you can still keep the garlic butter around.) To make caramelized onion butter, start by slowly caramelizing a couple of onions until golden and tender. Once they’ve cooled completely, blend them together with a stick of softened butter, a pinch of salt, and a generous amount of MSG. This butter is perfect for spreading on bread, tossing with pasta or rice, or melting over your favorite meat or fish.
Fish sauce butter
While fish sauce butter isn’t technically a true compound butter since it’s melted, it’s so delicious that I’m still including it. As you might expect, it’s full of bold umami flavor. I love drizzling it over popcorn, but you could also use it on vegetables if you prefer. To make it, melt a couple of tablespoons of butter, stir in a teaspoon or two of fish sauce, and add a pinch of brown sugar to taste. (Not a fan of fish sauce? You can achieve a similar effect with soy sauce butter or anchovy butter.)
Steakhouse butter
Steakhouse butter varies depending on the steakhouse, but in my (steak)house, we make ours with horseradish, capers, MSG, and a touch of Worcestershire sauce. It’s perfect for melting over a steak, or spreading on bread and pairing with a martini.
Savory Duck Frosting
This whipped delight is essentially a rich, smoky, and slightly meaty duck frosting, perfect for pairing with everything from crispy potatoes to cornbread muffins. Like any sweet buttercream, make sure the fats are at room temperature, or else your frosting will end up greasy, and no one wants greasy frosting.
Bacon Butter
We've explored chicken and duck fats, so now it's time for the savory touch of pork. As expected, bacon butter is the delightful blend of bacon fat and butter, and it’s absolutely perfect for spreading on tomato toast, breakfast toast, or even a late-night snack of toast.
Apple Brandy Butter
This indulgent boozy butter creates a uniquely twisted cinnamon-sugar toast. It has the sweet, fruity essence of Applejack, with delicate notes of vanilla and spices, followed by a warming burn that hits hard before mellowing out with the creamy butterfat.
Compound Butter Terrine
If you're torn between which butter to make, why not make a few and layer them into a terrine? I combined basil butter and Meyer lemon butter, adding a few radishes for a modern art-inspired touch. (I’m not sure it turned out great, but there’s a reason I’m a writer and not a visual artist.)
