Chive Blossom Mustard Butter

  

Chive Blossom Mustard Butter

*******

Makes four ½-cup logs of butter

We love this butter. We love this butter. Have I said we love this butter? It is a magical thing to welcome springtime by making something with some of the first herbs that peek out of the ground after a long winter.

I created this strongly flavored butter to compete with the assertive flavor of Brussels sprouts, and other strongly flavored veggies from the cabbage family. It's also great over fish, chicken, baked potatoes and bread. Got artichokes? Melt this butter for dipping. 

If you decide to add snipped chives to your meal, avoid the chive flower stems—too tough. 

1 lb butter*, room temperature

4 garlic cloves, put through a press

4 TBL Dijon mustard (Maille is good)

½ C parsley, very finely minced (save 1 TBL for garnish)

¼ C minced shallot or finely snipped chives (optional if you want smoother butter)

Salt and freshly ground pepper (about ½ tsp each)

18 chive blossoms (just bloomed), OR other edible flowers

4 chive blossoms for garnish

1. In a large bowl add the pound of butter, and leave until it reaches room temperature. Add garlic, mustard, parsley, salt, pepper and purple chive florets (pluck fresh chive florets from the base of 18 blossoms** to equal about ½ cup). Remember to save the extra 4 whole chive blossoms for sprinkling florets on plastic wrap before you roll the butter into a log.
2. Using a large wooden spoon or rubber spatuala/spoon, mix butter with ingredients until well blended. Draw a plus sign in the butter to divide it into 4 equal sections.
3. Serve in 4 small ramekin pots, OR…
4. ...Shape into a small log. To do this, lay a long sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Lightly sprinkle the plastic wrap with a 4x6-inch area of minced parsley and the purple florets plucked from 1 chive blossom. Spoon ¼-th of the butter on top of the herb-sprinkled plastic wrap.  Roll up, shaping with the plastic wrap as you go. Twist ends like a tootsie roll and refrigerate until firm. Repeat, and make three more for future use!
5. For Brussels sprouts, etc, stir a few tablespoons of the softened butter onto cooked vegetables. 
6. Alternatively, slice log into disks to melt over veggies, fish, chicken or bread. For freezing, put log of wrapped butter into an airtight bag, press out extra air and freeze. Makes a nice gift for friends.

* Try to buy butter sourced from grass-fed cows, like Kerrygold or some other brand.
** If you don't have enough blossoms to harvest 22 in one day, pick what blossoms you can, place them in a covered container in the fridge and add more blossoms to it as they bloom during the coming week. Soon you'll have enough!