Shallot Thyme Butter Food

CLASSIC SHALLOT BUTTER

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Peel and finely chop the shallot. You should end up with about 3 tablespoons in total.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, soften up the butter for a couple of minutes on low speed.
• Add the lemon juice and chopped shallot to the butter and continue mixing until the shallots are fully incorporated.
• Spread out a large (1-foot or bigger) square of plastic wrap across your work surface, then scoop the mixed butter onto the plastic. You are now going to roll the butter into a cylinder inside the plastic wrap.
• Tie the excess plastic wrap at the ends of the cylinder into a knot, or just use little pieces of string to tie off the ends. You can even make a string out of a short section of plastic wrap and roll it into a little rope.
• Chill or freeze until needed.

SAVORY THYME COMPOUND BUTTER

Steps:

• Place the butter in a food processor with the shallots, garlic, thyme leaves, anchovies, lemon zest and lemon juice. Puree until smooth.
• With the motor running, drizzle the olive oil into the butter. Transfer the butter to a bowl and fold in the parsley and paprika and season with salt and pepper.
• Roll up the butter in parchment paper to form a log and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours, for easy slicing and portioning. The butter can also be frozen for up to 4 weeks.

SKIRT STEAK WITH SHALLOT-THYME BUTTER

Steps:

• Prepare a gas or charcoal grill; the fire should be so hot you can hold your hand over it for only a couple of seconds.
• Meanwhile, cream the butter with a fork, adding thyme, chives, shallot, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the vinegar or juice.
• Grill the steak, 2 minutes a side for rare, about a minute longer per side for medium-rare. As it cooks, season with salt and pepper.
• Spread each steak with about a tablespoon of the flavored butter, and serve. Remaining butter can be wrapped and refrigerated or frozen.

CORN ON THE COB WITH SHALLOT-THYME BUTTER

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until brown, about 4 minutes. Cool. Combine remaining 6 tablespoons butter and thyme in small bowl. Add shallot mixture and blend well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Butter can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush corn with olive oil. Grill corn away from direct heat until just cooked and beginning to brown in a few places, turning frequently, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, omit brushing corn with olive oil and cook in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 6 minutes, drain. Serve corn with shallot-thyme butter.

SHALLOT-THYME BUTTER

Steps:

• Cream the butter with a fork, integrating all the ingredients, using about 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Taste and add more of any ingredient you deem necessary
• Compound butters can be made with any seasoning you like: mustard, garlic, ginger, chiles, vinegar, or citrus juice and zest, just to name a few. In good weather, you can easily experiment with adding the fresh herb of your choice chervil is especially nice, as are dill and parsley.

GREEN BEANS WITH CARAMELIZED-SHALLOT BUTTER

Steps:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add shallots and saute' 4 minutes (or until golden); stir in vinegar and cook 1 1/2 more minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in thyme, rind, salt, and pepper (I added more butter at this point).
• Cook beans in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain.
• Combine beans and shallot mixture in a large bowl and toss well to coat.

SHALLOT AND GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small saucepan of boiling water boil the garlic cloves for 6 minutes, drain them, and peel them. In a small heavy skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it fry the shallot for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is golden. Transfer the fried shallot to paper towels to drain. In a small bowl mash the garlic to a paste, add the fried shallot, the butter, and salt and pepper to taste, and cream the mixture. Let the butter stand, covered, in a cool place for 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Serve the butter with meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetables.

RIB-EYE STEAKS WITH THYME-SHALLOT BUTTER, PAPRIKA POTATOES AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray.
• Use a fork to mash the butter with the shallot, thyme, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a small bowl. Transfer it to the center of a small sheet of plastic wrap and roll it into a 1-inch-diameter log; twist the ends closed and chill in the freezer to harden until ready to use, at least 15 to 20 minutes.
• Combine the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the oil in a bowl. Toss with the paprika, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer, cut side down, around the edges of the sheet pan. Roast for 20 minutes, rotating the pan front to back after 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the asparagus with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
• After the potatoes have roasted 20 minutes, add the asparagus to the center of the sheet pan. Roast for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Transfer the potatoes and asparagus to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
• Position an oven rack 4 to 5 inches below the heat source and preheat the broiler.
• Season the steaks with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and place them on the sheet pan. Broil, turning them once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into the thickest part of the steak registers 130 degrees F for medium-rare, 6 to 8 minutes. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes, then serve topped with a slice of the butter and a side of potatoes and asparagus.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH BALSAMIC-SHALLOT BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine shallots, butter, vinegar, thyme salt and rind, stirring well with a whisk.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Snap off woody ends of asparagus.
• Arrange spears in a single layer on a shallow baking pan coated with cooking spray.
• Cover with foil and bake for 5 minutes.
• Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until asparagus is crisp tender.
• Pour butter mixture over asparagus, tossing gently to coat.
• Serve immediately.

PERFECT PANCETTA & ROAST SHALLOT-STUFFED TURKEY

Steps:

• Up to two days ahead, season the bird all over with flaky sea salt - inside and out and under the skin. Leave the turkey in the tin, breast-side up, and put in the fridge for up to two days; the longer you salt it, the more succulent it will be. Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time by allowing 40 mins per kg for the first 4kg, then 45 mins for every additional kg. As a guide, a turkey of this size should take 3½-4 hrs plus 30-45 mins resting.
• To make the butter, mash the garlic with the thyme, lemon zest and a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar, then beat in the butter until well mixed. Can be prepared up to two days ahead and chilled.
• Gently push your fingers under the skin of the turkey, starting from the neck, until you can push your whole hand down the length of the breast - take care not to tear the skin. Spread the butter under the skin so that it covers the breast meat, reserving 1 tbsp butter for the shallots. Lay the pancetta (or bacon) on your work surface in two rectangles of six overlapping slices. Carefully push each rectangle under the skin to cover and protect each breast. This can be done the night before; take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hr before roasting to bring it back to room temperature.
• On the day, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the whole shallots into a bowl with the thyme, bay and remaining 1 tbsp butter, then season and toss to coat. Lift the turkey into a roasting tin, massage the olive oil into the skin and season well if you haven't already seasoned ahead. Tip the shallots into the roasting tin, around the turkey, and stuff the lemon halves into the cavity. Cover the tin loosely with foil and roast for the calculated cooking time.
• For the final 30 mins, remove the foil and pour off all of the cooking juices (reserve them for the gravy). Spoon the shallots into the cavity and increase the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roast for the final 30 mins until the turkey is golden and the thigh juices run clear when pierced with a skewer, or until a digital cooking thermometer reads over 70C. Leave the turkey to rest on a warm platter covered with foil - it will stay warm for about 1 hr. If you want to make turkey gravy, pour the fat off the juices and add the gravy to the roasting tin. Bring to the boil, then pour into a gravy jug. To serve, bring the whole turkey to the table, along with the herbs, if using. Carve onto a hot platter with a little of the hot gravy poured over. Any leftover meat can be frozen in the gravy, or used in leftovers.

CORN ON THE COB WITH SHALLOT-THYME BUTTER

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until brown, about 4 minutes. Cool. Combine remaining 6 tablespoons butter and thyme in small bowl. Add shallot mixture and blend well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Butter can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush corn with olive oil. Grill corn away from direct heat until just cooked and beginning to brown in a few places, turning frequently, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, omit brushing corn with olive oil and cook in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 6 minutes, drain. Serve corn with shallot-thyme butter.

SHALLOT BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small saucepan set over medium heat or cooler area of a grill, combine butter, shallots, and oregano; melt. Stir in the wine and lime juice. Set butter aside until ready to use.

LEMON-THYME SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove the cooked chicken or pork from the skillet. Working over medium-high heat, melt the butter, add the thyme and shallot, and cook for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan, then cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken stock, bring it up to a bubble, and cook until thickened, 2 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of lemon zest and the juice of the zested lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken or pork and serve.