Rosemary Sage Compound Butter
With a delicious blend of creamy homemade butter and fresh chopped rosemary and sage, this compound butter is a perfect addition to grilled meats or vegetables.
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Table of Contents
- About Rosemary Sage Compound Butter
- What is compound butter?
- What can you serve with rosemary sage butter?
- What tools do you need to make compound butter?
- How long is compound butter good for?
- Can you freeze compound butter?
- Can you use dried herbs instead?
- How much does this recipe yield?
- Notes & tips for rosemary sage butter
- Other delicious spreads and sauces
- How to make rosemary sage compound butter
- Recipe Details
About Rosemary Sage Compound Butter
Perfect for adding just the right amount of flavor to your favorite dishes, this compound butter combines freshly chopped rosemary and sage with a delicious buttery spread.
What is compound butter?
To keep it short and sweet, compound butter is butter that’s been mixed or infused with other flavors. In most cases, compound butter is used as an easy way to enhance the flavors of other dishes, just like any other sauce or spice – only this way, you get butter as an added bonus, too.
What can you serve with rosemary sage butter?
The flavors in this butter come from potent herbs (rosemary with its lemon-pine and sage with its musky mint) so it tends to pair best with grilled or cooked meats or mild vegetables, such as:
- Any type of poultry, whether it be roasted turkey or baked chicken.
- Added as a dollop on a freshly grilled steak or pork chop.
- Melted and drizzled on top of steak tips (or even served in a sauce dish for dipping).
- Served with asparagus, carrots, or potatoes.
What tools do you need to make compound butter?
- Stand mixer or a hand mixer – This recipe creates butter by whipping heavy cream until the solid fats and cream separate, and this is much easier to do with a mixer of some kind. I remember making butter when I was younger by putting heavy cream and a marble in a plastic jar, but that required shaking the jar for 30 minutes – and it was exhausting. You can still use the shaking method, of course, but be prepared for an upper-body workout.
- Mesh strainer – For removing excess liquid and rinsing the butter.
- Lint-free cloth or a cheesecloth – For squeezing out any extra moisture from the butter.
- Storage container, parchment paper, or wax paper – Depending on how you’d like to store the butter, you can either put it in a sealed container or roll the butter into a log and wrap it with parchment paper or wax paper.
How long is compound butter good for?
Once prepared and stored, compound butter should remain good for one to two weeks, depending on the herbs.
Can you freeze compound butter?
Yes, you totally can!
Once stored in a sealed container or freezer bag, compound butter can be frozen for up to four months.
Can you use dried herbs instead?
Dried herbs are a convenient alternative to keeping fresh herbs in your kitchen, but dried herbs tend to be more potent. Because of this, you need to do some measurement conversions to use dried herbs in place of fresh ones.
In general, one tablespoon of fresh herbs = one teaspoon of dried herbs. This means dried herbs are is roughly three times as potent as their fresh counterparts.
For this particular recipe, that means you would substitute:
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced sage for 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary for 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
How much does this recipe yield?
If making the butter from scratch, this recipe will yield the following:
- One cup homemade butter (the solid fats from the heavy whipping cream) which will be flavored to create the rosemary sage compound butter.
- A bonus one cup of buttermilk (the cream that separates) that can be used for other baking, cooking, or dressing recipes.
Notes & tips for rosemary sage butter
- For this recipe, I highly recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. This recipe would be nearly impossible to make by hand with a whisk.
Other delicious spreads and sauces
How to make rosemary sage compound butter
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip the heavy whipping cream until the solid fats separate from the cream. Be patient with this; it may take a while.
Step 2 – Pour the contents of the mixer through a mesh strainer, getting out all of the excess cream (the cream is buttermilk – feel free to save it for other recipes!) Once done, keep the butter in the strainer and run cold water over it.
Step 3 – Place the butter on a piece of lint-free cloth or cheesecloth, then wrap it up tight. Squeeze the wrapped butter to get out any remaining moisture.
Step 4 – Return the butter to a clean mixer bowl, then add salt. Blend the salt into the butter, then do a taste test. Make any adjustments you feel are necessary.
Step 5 – Add the following ingredients to the mixer: sage and rosemary. Blend them into the butter until incorporated. And like with the salt, do a quick taste test and adjust any of the ingredients as desired.
Step 6 – For best results, store the butter in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours so that the flavors can marinate together.
Step 7 – Serve and enjoy!
Rosemary Sage Compound Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream *
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced sage
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), mix heavy whipping cream on medium-high speed for 10-20 minutes or until solid fats have separated from cream. Butter will have a lumpy texture; this is okay.2 cups heavy whipping cream *
- Turn off mixer. Pour contents through a strainer, reserving the cream (which is buttermilk) if desired. While still in the strainer, pour cold water over butter and rise well.
- Lay out a lint-free cloth or cheesecloth and place rinsed butter in the center. Gather the four corners of the towel and twist tightly, wringing out any remaining liquids.
- Clean the bowl of your mixer, then remove butter from cloth and place it back in the bowl. Add salt, then mix on medium-low speed until incorporated. Do a taste test; mix in more salt if desired.1/4 teaspoon salt *
- Add sage and rosemary to bowl. Mix on medium-low until combined. Do another taste test and make any adjustments to your liking.1 tablespoon fresh minced sage, 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary
- Transfer butter to a sealed container or roll into a log and wrap with parchment or wax paper.
- Refrigerate butter for at least 12 hours so flavors can set in.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
