Garlic Herb Butter
A simple compound butter of softened butter whipped with minced garlic, fresh cilantro, and salt — a versatile finishing touch for steak, warm bread, or roasted vegetables.
- 8 oz butter, unsalted
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Let the butter come fully to room temperature so it's soft enough to work easily — cold butter straight from the fridge won't blend smoothly and will leave streaks of garlic and herb instead of an even distribution. Add the softened butter, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Mix on medium speed until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended and the butter has taken on a uniformly soft, whipped texture, with the garlic and cilantro distributed evenly throughout. Scrape down the sides of the bowl partway through if needed to make sure nothing gets left behind unmixed.
- Turn the butter mixture out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a log or block, rolling and twisting the ends of the plastic to seal it tightly. Place the wrapped butter in the refrigerator to firm up and chill completely before slicing or using.
Chef's Note: Compound butter is one of the simplest ways to add a finishing-restaurant touch to an ordinary weeknight dinner — a single pat melting over a hot grilled steak or roasted vegetable does an enormous amount of work for almost no effort. The key technical point is starting with properly softened butter; if it's too cold, the garlic and herbs won't distribute evenly, and if it's too warm or melted, you'll lose the ability to shape it into a neat log.
This butter keeps beautifully, which makes it an easy thing to have on hand — store it wrapped tightly in the fridge for up to a week, or slice the chilled log into rounds and freeze them individually so you can pull out just what you need. A pat melted over warm bread, steak, roasted corn, or simple pan-seared fish is an instant way to dress up almost any meal.
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