Thanksgiving Favorites: Compound Butter

Lots of people are afraid of butter because it's high in fat and cholesterol. However, I don't see it as a problem if used in moderation. If you're using a good quality butter it's is so much better for you than the processed low fat margarines. Any of those processed, low fat and low cholesterol butter substitutes have under gone chemical manipulation, hydrogenating the fatty acids. This basically means that they have chemically altered the fatty acids and have now created trans fats. These are not good for your body because it increases your levels of LDL cholesterol (not good) and creates free radicals in the body. Free radicals can create all kinds of damage in the body.

Okay, okay, I am done with my rant, but please do yourself a favor and skip the butter substitutes and go for the full fat, natural version. Also, if you want a healthier version of butter, ghee is very beneficial to your body and it has the milk fats removed so lots of people who are sensitive to dairy can process ghee. For those who are interested in learning more about the health benefits of ghee here's a link to a site that also has a recipe. It's is super easy! :) Okay, now for compound butter.

Compound butter is a great way to add a beautiful and delicious accent to meals. It's a great garnish and you can really be creative with it.

Compound ButterIngredients
1 stick of butter, softened at room temp
Herbs and seasonings of your choosing

Directions
Smash together butter and herbs and then either mold back into a rectangular shape using parchment paper or use a pastry bag to create pretty dollops on a plate. Either keep at room temp or you can refrigerate to harden.
Examples:

• Chopped parsley, sea salt, honey, cayenne pepper - this was delicious served with corn bread
  
• Chopped capers, minced garlic, sea salt, sliced chives
• Nutmeg, cinnamon, maple syrup, sea salt
• Lemon zest, chopped dill, minced garlic, sea salt
• Chopped rosemary, dried sage, thyme leaves, sea salt, lemon juice

****Compound butter can be great to use with your turkey. Just make a compound butter with whatever seasoning you want your turkey to have then harden it in a molded rectangle form in your fridge. Then slice your harden stick of compound butter into 1/8" slices and place the slices under the skin of the turkey... yum!!!