Oolong Compound Butter
Compound butters offer a high return on flavor for minimal effort. The most challenging part of this recipe is remembering to take the butter out ahead of time to soften.
I chose Light Roast Oolong tea from Tap Twice Tea for its unique tasting notes of toast, chrysanthemum, honey, and walnut. This tea is renowned for its floral, vegetal, and sweet flavors. When lightly roasted over time with periods of rest in between, it develops deeper, caramel-like notes.
Use this butter to add a luxurious touch to a simple pasta dish, to quickly sauté tender greens or just slathered on freshly baked bread.
INGREDIENTS
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp Light Roast Oolong, finely ground
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp white miso
2 tsp minced shallot
1 large lemon, zested
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. If you would like the butter on the fluffier side, consider using a hand held mixer.
To serve, transfer to a small serving dish or jar and sprinkle with coarse salt if desired.
NOTE
To grind the tea use either a mortar and pestle or a spice/coffee grinder. If you would like some texture, then leave it as a coarse grind.