Sorrel Butter

I''ve been too hot to cook so thankfully Guestblogger: The Chef came through for me. How can you go wrong with some extra-fancy herbed butter? I would imagine that any dinner guest would be impressed. -- A Crafty Lass

Compound (flavored) butter is used in almost every professional kitchen across the land, and yet absolutely ignored by home cooks. I’ve never quite understood why, considering how easy it is to whip up.

Remember when Jabba the Hut bronzed Han Solo? Same concept: flavorful bits like chives, Roquefort, or Harrison Ford circa 1983, are added to softened butter, chilled, and become suspended animation in your fridge until they are released by a sizzling steak, a steaming potato, or…Princess Leia?

One of our herb containers was downright bushy with sorrel, so I decided to give it a trim and lock the lemony leaves in a butter that would add zing to grilled chicken or salmon fillets, the latter combination being a rustic riff on the French classic, Salmon in Sorrel Sauce.

For at least 4-6 servings:

• 1 stick unsalted butter ignored until room temperature
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped sorrel leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• One pinch each of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients thoroughly, and chill until solid. It will keep, chilled, for 1-2 weeks or frozen for millennia.