I hesitate to call this a recipe, it is rather, a handy staple to have on hand for all sorts of moments. I love this butter spread on fresh crusty baguette, eaten alongside peppery radishes with a glass of wine, hopefully in the garden, in the sunshine, with friends before a lovely lunch. But it also works brilliantly simply melted on a piece of grilled chicken or fish with a big salad on the side and some bread to mop up the juices. It keeps for a good week in the fridge and you can even roll it into a cylinder between some parchment paper and freeze it for future chicken dinners.
You can experiment with flavours, I’ve used garlic, lemon and herbs here, but you could add chopped olives or sundried tomatoes, swap out the summery herbs for woodier rosemary and thyme or add your favourite spices for a little heat. This version though is perfect for an apéro in the sunshine, so start here with a glass of wine on the side.
Ingredients
100g salted butter at room temperature
½ garlic clove, crushed (you can use a full clove if they’re small, but here in France they’re often large and strong)
A small pinch of dried chilli flakes
Grated zest of half a lemon
A small bunch each of fresh basil, parsley and mint, chopped
Pepper
Method
Mash the butter with a fork, then stir through the garlic, chilli, lemon zest, and the fresh herbs. Mix thoroughly and add a grating of black pepper to taste.
Serve with some radishes, a small dish of fleur de sel or Malden Salt crystals and a good baguette. Spread the butter on your bread, dip the radishes in the salt and relax with a glass of your favourite wine in the sunshine.
