Title: Herb Butters
Categories: Spread
Yield: 5 Ounces

4	oz	Unsalted butter
2	tb	Fresh parsley, chopped
1	tb	Fresh chives, chopped
1/2	tb	Fresh mint, chopped
1/2	ts	Mustard powder
1	tb	Lemon juice

Beat the butter to a cream. Beat in the herbs and mustard powder. Add the lemon juice drop by drop, beating well. Place the butter on plastic wrap or wax paper and form it into a roll using a flat-bladed knife or small palette knife. Roll the butter up in the paper. Put it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hrs. to harden. To serve, cut the butter into round pats with a sharp knife. If you wish to neaten the edges, stamp the pats into neat rounds using a cookie cut- ter slightly smaller in diameter than the butter. *Variation: You can also use the sweet spices, such as ground cinnamon or nutmeg, to make a spiced butter. Use 4 t. of ground spice to 4 oz. of butter. A little honey or unrefined sugar may also be added. Spread spiced butters on hot toast, scones, tea cakes, fruit loaves and tea breads.

*It is very easy to make herb butter by beating chopped, fresh herbs into softened, unsalted butter. You can also add other ingredients, such as crushed garlic, grated lemon or orange rind, a few drops of lemon or orange juice, mustard powder, pepper or cayenne. And you can vary the taste still further by using one particular herb or a combination. The classic herb butter is the Maitre d'Hotel type, which is flavored simply with parsley, lemon juice, pepper and occassionally garlic. The above variation on Maitre d'Hotel is excellent with oily fish such as trout or mackerel.

Source: The New Age Herbalist by Richard Mabey

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