Two Butters for the Freezer
TRANQUIL • LUMINOUS • ROOTED
Stories from the studio, reflections on process, and the art of the handmade.
Compound Butters for the Freezer: Woodland Mushroom + Harvest Butter
Some of the most useful things in my Studio Pantry are also the simplest. These compound butters for the freezer are a perfect example. Unlike the herb butters I’ve made before, these begin with a single ingredient as the focus—mushrooms or tomatoes—prepared to concentrate its flavor before being incorporated into the butter.
These two compound butters begin exactly the same way: four sticks of unsalted butter, softened and ready to take on flavor. What changes is what happens before the butter enters the picture.
For Woodland Mushroom Butter, mushrooms are finely chopped and cooked with shallots and seasonings until their moisture has evaporated and their flavor becomes deep and savory.
For Harvest Butter, Roma tomatoes are roasted first, along with sweet onion and garlic, until their flavor becomes rich and concentrated.
The idea is simple: remove excess moisture, concentrate the flavor, let everything cool completely, chop finely, and then whip it into softened butter.
From there, the freezer does the rest.
Why I Make Them
I think of these less as condiments and more as building blocks.
A small piece of flavored butter can finish pasta, melt over vegetables or fish, meat, chicken, enrich a pan sauce, disappear into warm polenta, or turn a piece of bread into something special.
And because I freeze the butter in small portions, I don't have to decide how I'm going to use an entire batch when I make it. I simply take out what I need.
The Method
For each batch, I start with four sticks — one pound — of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.
The important part isn't really the butter. It's what happens to the mushrooms or tomatoes first.
Both contain a good deal of moisture, and simply adding them to softened butter would dilute their flavor and compromise the texture. Cooking them first removes much of that moisture while concentrating everything we want to keep.
I found that whipping the softened butter with a mixer first gave me the consistency I wanted—light, smooth and easy to work with. Once the mushroom or tomato mixture is completely cool, I add it to the whipped butter and continue mixing until it is evenly incorporated.
The result is a wonderfully soft, cohesive butter with the flavor distributed throughout.
Woodland Mushroom Butter
For this version, I start with about a pound of mushrooms.
The mushrooms are finely chopped and cooked with a shallot and a little olive oil until they release their moisture and the pan becomes nearly dry. Add a little dry sherry, fresh thyme, Worcestershire and Dijon will add layers of savory flavor, along with a pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
The important part is allowing the mushrooms to cook long enough. Rather than remaining soft and watery, they should become concentrated, deeply savory and almost spreadable.
Once the mushroom mixture is completely cool, I whip it into the softened, already-whipped butter until evenly incorporated. I taste at the end and add another pinch of salt if it needs it.
The finished butter is earthy and savory without being heavy. It is wonderful melted into pasta, spooned over polenta, added to roasted vegetables or potatoes, or used to finish a simple pan sauce.
Harvest Butter
Harvest Butter begins with about two sheet pans of Roma tomatoes, cut in half, which have a dense, meaty texture and relatively little moisture.
I arrange the halved tomatoes on the sheet pans skin down, cut side up, and roast them at 425 degrees with sweet onion and garlic, a little olive oil and black pepper, allowing the moisture to cook away while the tomatoes become soft and deeply flavored. The edges should begin to caramelize and the tomatoes should look concentrated rather than juicy.
Once everything is completely cool, I chop them finely and combine the roasted mixture with fresh basil and whip it into four sticks — one pound — of softened, already-whipped unsalted butter until the tomato mixture is evenly distributed. I taste and adjust the salt at the end.
The result is a savory tomato butter with the sweetness of roasted Roma tomatoes and just enough garlic and basil in the background.
It is especially good melted over fish, tossed with pasta, spooned over roasted vegetables, spread onto warm bread, or stirred into polenta or orzo.
Portioning + Freezing
Rather than freezing either butter in one large block, I portion it into small pucks using compartmented silicone trays, then freeze the entire tray. Once the pucks are firm, I pop them out and transfer them to a labeled freezer container, ready to use one or two at a time. Once firm, they can be transferred to a freezer container and labeled. Then I can pull out one or two whenever I need them.
That is really the point of the Studio Pantry for me: doing a little more when I have the time so that another meal, on another day, becomes considerably easier.
These little portions of butter have already become some of the most useful things in my freezer.
Two preparations. The same simple foundation. And two very different ways to bring the flavors of the season forward into another meal.
Studio Notes
There is usually no need to thaw the butter before using it. For hot pasta, polenta, orzo, vegetables, a pan sauce, poultry, meats, and fish, I add a frozen puck directly and let the heat gently melt it into the dish.
When using the butter to finish fish or another protein, I let a puck soften slightly at room temperature so it can be placed or spread where I want it before serving.
For bread or anything where I want the butter completely soft and spreadable, I simply take a puck from the freezer ahead of time and allow it to come to room temperature.
That is one of the reasons I like freezing these in individual portions: I can take exactly what I need and leave the rest tucked away in the freezer.
New to the Studio Kitchen?
If this is your first visit, I invite you to begin with Welcome to the Studio Kitchen, where I share the philosophy behind these seasonal recipes, pantry staples, and stories from the garden.
It's the place where this collection begins.
From the Studio
The Studio Kitchen grew from a simple idea, that creativity doesn't end at the studio door.
Sometimes it takes shape in handmade books, collage, and paper. Other times it begins in the garden, continues at the kitchen table, and ends with a recipe shared among family and friends.
Whether you've arrived here through my artwork, the Studio Kitchen, or simply a love of thoughtful making, I'm so glad you're here.
Thank you for spending a little time with me today.
From the garden • Through the studio • To the table
Melanie Grant — Northern Idaho
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