Compound Butters

Compound butters are prepared by working whole butter with flavorful ingredients such as herbs, vegetable purées, reduced wines or stocks, anchovies, spices, or coral. Depending on the desired consistency of the butter or the finesse of the dish, compound butters may be worked through a drum sieve so that they end up perfectly smooth. They can be used by themselves as “sauces” for grilled meats, fish, and vegetables, or swirled in at the end to complete more complex sauces.

It is often convenient to add compound butters, rather than flavoring ingredients alone, to sauces. This is especially true for herbs such as basil or tarragon, which turn black if chopped in advance. If the herbs are chopped into butter, they are protected from the air and their color and flavor stay intact. (A)