The onion and butter mixture creates a delicious, creamy taste that can be used in breads, recipes, or as a substitute for regular butter. You can also make a garlic butter sauce for sautéing meats, vegetables and bread, or use it in potato or gravy recipes and more! There are also many non-dairy versions to make oils or margarines that are different but still delicious and versatile.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter without salt
- -1 teaspoon salt, for taste
- pepper, as a flavor enhancer
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1-2 tablespoons of fresh garlic
Additives or Substitutes
- Garlic Powder
- Other spices (fresh or dried parsley, thyme, sage leaves, basil, or rosemary)
- Margarine, coconut oil, or olive oil
- cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
- Hot chili or paprika
Step
Method 1 of 2: Making Garlic Butter for Spreading
Step 1. Soften the butter
Let the butter sit covered at room temperature until it's soft and easy to spread with a knife. Place the softened butter in a medium-sized bowl.
- For a non-dairy alternative, try using margarine.
- Olive oil or coconut oil can also be used. Coconut oil has a strong coconut flavor, and olive oil is a liquid so the butter doesn't clump and expand.
Step 2. Chop the garlic
Press the onion with an onion press or chop it with a knife. Add the onions to the butter.
Garlic powder can be used instead of fresh garlic. Replace with 1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder
Step 3. Add herbs and spices
Add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. You can replace herbs with fresh herbs, but they can give a buttery taste that is different than dry spices
- Rosemary, parsley, and thyme also go well with butter. You can also use basil or sage leaves.
- For a strong extra decadent garlic butter, add a quarter cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
- For added spiciness, add chopped or chili powder.
Step 4. Mash the ingredients together
Use a whisk or electric stirrer to combine all the ingredients. This allows air to enter the mixture so that the butter becomes light, soft, and blends well.
Step 5. Butter can be used immediately or later
If not used immediately, garlic butter can be stored and covered in the refrigerator. However, cold butter will be difficult to spread.
- While butter is safe to store at room temperature, unused garlic butter should be refrigerated. Oiled garlic butter is best used right away, but unused portions are best kept in the refrigerator, and used within a week to prevent botulism (stale).
- Garlic butter can be spread on plain bread, toast, cornbread, burgers, or anything else.
- Replace regular butter with garlic butter to add flavor to scones, crackers, cream sauces, or vegetable dishes.
Step 6. Freeze the garlic butter to extend the shelf life
Place the garlic butter on the wax paper and roll it into a tube. Chill in the refrigerator until hardened. Divide the butter tube with a knife into flat rounds about 2.5-5 cm thick. Once frozen, the butter can be removed without melting the entire butter. Cover the butter with wax paper and freeze for two to three months.
Method 2 of 2: Making Garlic Butter Sauce
Step 1. Clear the butter
Clarified butter is butter that has been separated from the components of water and solid milk. This butter has a higher smoke point and a longer shelf life than fresh butter.
- Put the butter in a thick bottomed skillet. Heat on medium heat until melted. Lower the temperature, and continue to simmer until the top layer begins to foam and foam.
- Take the foamy layer with a spoon. What remains in the pan is the liquid layer of milk fat in the middle, and the milk solids in the bottom layer
- Continue to heat on low until the milk solids begin to turn light brown in color. Remove the pot from the stove.
- Gently pour the melted butter into a separate saucepan, making sure that the milk solids at the bottom don't pour out. If you have a sieve and cheesecloth, strain the milk fat into a new saucepan.
- Discard the milk solids, or use them in sauces, mashed potatoes, or other recipes.
Step 2. Add the chopped garlic, salt, herbs and spices to the butter
Heat on low for at least 20 minutes, so that the garlic and spice flavors soak into the butter.
- You can also use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic, and you can add any of the extra spices or seasonings to your liking.
- The clarified butter can be exchanged for cooking oil (such as olive) at this stage, but remember that different oils have different smoke points.
Step 3. If the butter is not used right away, save it for later use
Although clarified butter has a longer shelf life than regular butter, mixing the onions will reduce the shelf life of the butter. Store butter in the refrigerator in a closed jar or container. The frozen clear butter is no longer liquid, but can be heated into the sauce again.
- Strain the spices and garlic before using, or leave to leave extra texture and flavor in the butter.
- Garlic butter sauce can be eaten with meat, fish, tofu, or vegetables, drizzled on bread, or used as a fondue sauce.
Tips
- Eat butter in moderation, and use it as part of a balanced diet
- Reduce the garlic if the taste is too strong.
