For many people, Father’s Day dinner includes a steak or three, usually cooked on a barbecue. To those of you indulging in this activity I ask, what’s the sauce? Most of the time a simple grilled steak sliced to share is more than enough, but I wanted to highlight a super-simple addition that is common in restaurants, but not always at home: Compound Butter.
Compound Butter is simply butter that has aromatics added to it. One of the most famous is called Maître d'Hôtel Butter, which is butter mixed with lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. This is classically used on top of steak and fish and named after the Master of the Hotel (Maître d'Hôtel), who would prepare it tableside.
As much as I enjoy Maître d'Hôtel Butter, I find it a little muted for today’s tastes. I have come up with a compound butter with lots of fresh herbs and garlic – perfect for not only topping a steak, but also to serve with the bread and vegetables that will be hanging out on the side of the main attraction.
Compound Butter for Steak
Ingredients:
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
1 tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp tarragon, finely chopped
1 tbsp chervil, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp shallot, finely diced
juice one lemon
to taste salt and pepper
Method:
1. In a bowl, thoroughly mix all of the ingredients together.
2. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap out on your countertop. Spoon the butter into a small log and roll it up in the plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Slice the chilled butter into coins and store in a sealed container. To serve, place a coin on top of hot steaks, chicken, fish, vegetables etc.