You'll want to try the first two butters on grain bread or Classic French Toast (see recipe). Hot Pepper Honey Butter is terrific on cornbread or savory muffins.

Ingredients
Orange Honey Butter
½ cup (120 mL) orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed
½ lb (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) finely grated orange rind
1½ tsp. (7.5 mL) honey, preferably wildflower

Instructions
Pour the orange juice into a small saucepan and boil down to ¼ cup (60 mL). Cool.

Put the softened butter in a bowl and add the orange juice. Slowly mix the juice into the butter. This will take a while. Add the orange rind and the honey. Mix again and taste. Add more rind if desired. If you plan to serve the butter cold, as opposed to room temperature, remember that the orange flavor will be dulled, so you may want to add more rind.

Serve at room temperature or form the butter into a log shape on foil, roll up and refrigerate or put in the freezer until hard. To serve, slice into disks.

Raspberry Honey Butter

1 scant cup (240 mL) frozen unsweetened raspberries or 1½ cups (360 mL) fresh raspberries
½ lb. (225 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) honey, preferably wildflower or lavender

Defrost the raspberries. Purée in a food processor and strain through a fine-meshed sieve.

Place the butter in a small bowl. Mix 4 Tbsp. (60 mL) of the raspberry purée and the honey into the butter. Make sure the flavored butter is completely mixed and is a consistent color. Spoon the butter in a line along a piece of foil. Use the foil to roll the butter into a log. Refrigerate until hard. Slice in ¼- to ½-inch (.6- to 1.2-cm) disks just before serving. Place 1 disk on each piece of Classic French Toast (see recipe).

Hot Pepper Honey Butter

This butter is delicious spread over warm cornbread, especially when served with spareribs or grilled pork tenderloin. You could continue the southern accent by adding collard greens and rice and peas.

up to ½ a jalapeño pepper, finely minced
½ to 1 Tbsp. (7.5 to 15 mL) liquid honey, preferably wildflower
½ lb. (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

With a fork, mix the pepper and honey into the butter, starting with ¼ of the minced jalapeño pepper and ½ Tbsp. (7.5 mL) of the honey. Keep adding both until you get a nice kick that is mellowed out by the honey. Spoon into a bowl or place the butter in a line along a piece of foil. Use the foil to roll the butter into a log. Refrigerate until hard. Slice in ¼- to ½-inch (.6- to 1.2-cm) disks just before serving.

Lemon Herb Butter

Lemon juice just doesn't want to mix into butter. It likes to bead and run along the surface. By using an ordinary dinner fork and persevering, you'll get a lovely infused butter. A simple grilled steak or any white fish will benefit greatly from a cold round of it placed on top just before serving.

½ lb. (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
up to 2 tsp. (10 mL) lemon juice
½ tsp. (2.5 mL) Dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) minced, mixed fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, marjoram, or chervil

Place the butter in a small bowl. Use a fork to mix the lemon juice, mustard, and garlic into the softened butter. Gently mix in the herbs. Spoon the butter in a line along a piece of foil. Use the foil to roll the butter into a log. Refrigerate until hard. Slice in ¼- to ½-inch (.6- to 1.2-cm) disks just before serving.

Photo by Chris Freeland.

This recipe is from Linda Haynes, The ACE Bakery Cookbook.


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