Butter and garlic are a delicious combination. Then make garlic butter, a creamy and spreadable topping that's perfect to be enjoyed with toast, added to your recipes, or stored in the refrigerator to use in place of common butter. When heated slightly, garlic butter can be poured over meats, vegetables, breads and potatoes or added to one of your favorite sauces. If you're on a vegan diet, you can opt for a tasty, versatile, and dairy-free garlic sauce made with oil or margarine.
Ingrediants
- 240 ml of butter
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon of a spice blend of your choice
- 1-2 tablespoons of fresh garlic (to taste)
Substitute or Additional Ingredients
- Garlic powder
- Fresh or dried aromatic herbs (parsley, thyme, sage, basil, rosemary, etc.)
- Margarine, extra virgin olive or coconut oil
- 25 g of grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh or dried chilli
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Make the Spreadable Garlic Butter
Step 1. Soften the butter
Let it soften at room temperature, keeping it covered, until it is soft enough to spread with a knife. Transfer it to a medium-sized bowl.
- For a vegan version of the recipe, replace the butter with margarine.
- As an alternative to butter, you can also use extra virgin olive or coconut oil. However, note that coconut oil has a rather intense flavor, while olive oil is very liquid and does not guarantee a soft and airy result like butter.
Step 2. Finely chop the garlic
You can chop it with a knife or squeeze it with a special garlic press. Add the garlic to the butter.
If you like, you can substitute fresh garlic with powdered garlic. In this case, use 1 or 2 tsp
Step 3. Add the dried herbs and spices
Incorporate the salt, pepper, and a blend of herbs and spices to your taste. You can replace dried herbs with fresh ones, but in this case the butter will have a different flavor.
- Rosemary, parsley and thyme go perfectly with butter. Basil and sage are also excellent choices.
- For an even tastier and more delicious result, you can add a small amount of grated Parmesan cheese (about 25 g).
- If you love strong, spicy flavors, try adding fresh or powdered chili.
Step 4. Beat the ingredients with a whisk
You can use an electric or manual whisk. In addition to mixing the ingredients, you will incorporate air into the mixture making it light, soft and airy.
Step 5. Garlic Butter can be used immediately or stored for future use
If you intend to use it later, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. However, remember that it will not be easy to spread it when it is cold.
- Although it is possible to keep it at room temperature, unused garlic butter should be placed in the refrigerator. The essential oils contained in garlic should be consumed immediately, but any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within a week to prevent the risk of botulism.
- Garlic butter can be spread on fresh or toasted bread, corn on the cob, meat, and any other ingredient of your choice.
- Enhance the flavor of your recipes by replacing ordinary butter with garlic-flavored butter, for example when making sauces, vegetables or savory baked goods.
Step 6. If you want to make garlic butter last longer, store it in the freezer
Transfer it to a sheet of parchment paper and roll it into a cylinder. Put it in the refrigerator until it starts to harden, then divide it into small discs with a knife (about 1-2 cm thick). Once frozen you can use them individually according to your needs. Wrap them in parchment paper and place them in the freezer. Make sure you consume them within two to three months.
Method 2 of 2: Make a Butter and Garlic Sauce
Step 1. Make the clarified butter
Thanks to the clarification process, you will be able to separate the fat in the butter from the water and casein. Ghee has a higher smoke point and can be stored longer.
- Put the butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Melt it over medium heat. Reduce the heat and let it simmer slightly until you see a foam forming on the surface.
- Take a spoon to get rid of the foamy layer. What will remain in the pot will be a liquid layer of fat in the center and a layer of (solid) casein on the bottom.
- Continue heating the butter over low heat until the casein begins to acquire a golden color. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Gently tilt the pot and pour the liquid part into a second bowl, making sure the casein stays at the bottom. If you have a strainer and a piece of cheesecloth or cheesecloth available, use them to filter out the fat.
- Discard the casein or save it to add to sauces, purees, and other recipes.
Step 2. Incorporate the minced garlic, salt, herbs and spices into the clarified butter, then heat it using a low flame for at least 20 minutes, so that the garlic and herb aromas spread effectively
- If you like, you can replace fresh garlic with powdered garlic, plus you can add other herbs or spices to taste.
- At this point in the preparation you can replace the clarified butter with a vegetable oil of your choice, for example extra virgin olive oil. In this case, remember that each variety of oil has a different smoke point.
Step 3. Use your sauce immediately or save it for the future
Although clarified butter has a longer shelf life than regular butter, adding garlic reduces its shelf life. Store the unused sauce in the refrigerator, preferably in an airtight container. Once the clarified butter has cooled, it will become solid, but by heating it it will be extremely easy to make it liquid again.
- At the time of use you can decide whether to filter the sauce to remove the garlic and herbs or whether to enjoy it as it is, for an even more intense taste.
- This sauce goes perfectly with meats, tofu, vegetables and toast, and can also be used as a fondue.
Advice
- Cut back on garlic if you're worried it might cover up other flavors.
- Butter should be consumed in moderation and only as part of a well balanced diet.
