Sauces and Flavored Butters

Garlic Herb Butter

Get roasted garlic like flavor without roasting.

Servings

½ cup

Level

Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 head fresh garlic
  • ½ cup (1 stick) Challenge Butter, softened
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne red pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
  • 1½ teaspoons finely minced fresh thyme

Directions

  • 1
    Trim root end of garlic head to remove remaining roots. Slice off the top of garlic head just enough to expose the tips of the cloves.
  • 2
    Place trimmed garlic head root side down in a small sauce pan (1 quart). Add water to about half the height of the garlic head.
  • 3
    Place pan on burner over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover pan and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the garlic is very soft. Steaming/simmering garlic head results in milder garlic flavor, similar to oven roasting.
  • 4
    Remove garlic head from water and allow to cool. Squeeze garlic from cloves and thoroughly mash into a paste.
  • 5
    Combine softened butter, garlic, ground red pepper, salt and herbs. Mix using fork or electric mixer until herbs are evenly distributed.
  • 6
    Transfer to a small bowl and use immediately as a spread for fresh bread, for making oven toasted garlic bread.
    The butter can also be formed into a cylindrical log and wrapped in parchment or waxed paper and refrigerated. The log can then be sliced into thin rounds for later use.
  • 7
    Can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days or kept frozen for several weeks.
  •  !
    Compound butter can also be made as a flavored spreadable butter using Challenge Spreadable Butter. When using Spreadable butter as a base, the compound butter cannot be formed into a log but will remain spreadable after refrigeration. (Spreadable Lite Butter flavored with Olive Oil should not be used in this recipe.)