Joe Henderson's Rosemary Compound Butter Medallions
Joe Henderson, owner of Chapel Hill Farm, says:
“Compound Butter gives the illusion and taste of a grand restaurant but is easily and quickly made by mixing any herb or combination of herbs that you like (rosemary, sage, thyme, tarragon, parsley, oregano) into room-temperature soft butter. Rosemary and garlic is our family’s favorite combo. We use it to top chops, burgers, and anything else that might benefit from a buttery burst of fresh herb flavor.”
Ingredients
2 sticks (=1 cup) very softened butter (NOTE: You can use salted or unsalted butter, but if you use unsalted butter, plan on adding some extra salt to taste.)
4 teaspoons very finely chopped fresh rosemary (the more tender the rosemary leaves, the better)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
Salt (up to 1 teaspoon) and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation
(NOTE: although this can be prepared just a few hours ahead of time, we suggest doing it 24 hours before you use it to give the flavors time to meld together)
1. Mix very softened butter & rosemary (or herbs of your choice) in a medium sized bowl, using a spatula.
2. Add garlic, continue mixing.
3. Add salt (up to 1 teaspoon) and freshly ground pepper to taste and mix until all is evenly distributed throughout the butter.
4. Cut two pieces of plastic wrap (or baking parchment) about 10 inches long
5. Divide butter in half. Place each half lengthwise (i.e. parallel to the cut edge) on the plastic wrap (or parchment) and form into a roughly oblong shape, leaving 1-2” of clean plastic wrap on either side.
6. Roll the plastic wrap or parchment over itself in order to shape butter into a cylindrical “log.” Twist the ends of the plastic wrap (like a wrapped candy)
7. Refrigerate the two soft butter “logs” until hardened. (This will take a minimum of a few hours, but we suggest 24 hours for optimum flavor)
8. When the “logs” have hardened, roll them out of their plastic coverings and cut into even medallions, ¼- ½ inch thick.
9. Place a medallion on top of each piece of meat being served (chops, burgers, etc.). Enjoy!