Strawberry Butter
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed if frozen
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly cooler than room temperature, slightly firm
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Cook the strawberries in a saucepan over medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until they break down.
- Continue to cook and reduce the berries, stirring them occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes, until very thick and syrupy.
- Let the berries cool for 30 minutes, or until they are at room temperature.
- Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and place the pieces into the work bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add the cooled berries, the orange zest, and salt.
- Starting on slow speed, beat until the ingredients begin to incorporate.
- Turn up the speed to medium-high and whip the butter until all the ingredients are incorporated.
- The outside of the mixing bowl should feel cool.
- If the bowl begins to get too warm, stop the mixer and refrigerate the bowl for 15 minutes before continuing.
- When all the ingredients are well mixed, use a spatula to scrape the butter onto a large piece of parchment paper or wax paper.
- Roll the butter into a long tube that is 1 to 2 inches in diameter, and twist the ends to seal in the butter.
- Chill for at least several hours.
- Alternatively, scrape the butter into a ramekin and cover it with plastic wrap before chilling.
- The butter can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for several weeks.
- When you are ready to serve the butter, cut it into rounds and remove the parchment paper.
- Alternatively, simply put it on the table in its ramekin.
- Substitute equal amounts of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, or fresh currants for the strawberries.
- If using currants, add 1 tablespoon sugar to the currants while they are cooking.
- Another good trick is to replace the fresh berries with 1/4 cup berry jam and follow all the same steps.
- You will still need to heat and cool the jam first.
frozen strawberries, unsalted butter, freshly grated orange zest, kosher salt
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/strawberry-butter-381905 (may not work)