Capture basil's bright, herbaceous flavor in this easy, creamy basil butter made in 10 minutes with just 4 ingredients! Great for melting over grilled veggies, fish, or meats, or for serving on a vibrant summer cheese board.
Prep Time: 9 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 1 minuteminute
Total: 10 minutesminutes
Servings: 0.5cup
Ingredients
8tablespoonsunsalted butter, at cool room temperature
1cuplightly packed fresh basil leaves
a few scrapes of lemon zest
⅛teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
First, blanch and shock the basil. This will keep the basil butter bright green and full of fresh flavor. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Make an ice water bath in a medium bowl.
Add the basil leaves to the boiling water and cook until bright green and wilted, 20-30 seconds. Drain well and immediately plunge into the ice water bath to stop the cooking.
When the basil is cold, drain it well and squeeze it with your hands to remove as much liquid as possible. Chop the basil finely.
Place the softened butter in a medium bowl with the lemon zest and salt. Add the chopped basil and stir it into the butter. If you like, beat the soft butter with a spatula or electric beaters to lighten it. Alternatively, place everything in the bowl of a small blender or food processor and pulse until lightly aerated, being careful not to melt the butter.
Swirl the butter into a serving bowl or storage container. Use right away or refrigerate until cold, 1 hour and up to several weeks. Or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
This basil butter can swing sweet or savory. But for a more savory twist, add 1 small garlic clove, put through a press, and a few turns of black pepper.