Saturday, January 30, 2010

Radish and Herb Butter


Radishes and butter are a classic French combination, but I didn't know this until last summer when I saw a post for Radish Herb Butter on the blog Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate. The pairing of radishes with butter struck me as unlikely and yet quite appealing. We have a steady radish supply nearly year round, thanks to our farm box, so although I was eager to make the butter, I bided my time until it was my turn to host book group (we usually have cheese, bread/crackers, fruit, and of course, dessert). I ended up preparing this in November, and now that the holidays are over I finally get to share it.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- You can find the recipe at the end of this post.

- Making this "dish" is as easy as softening some butter, beating it with lemon juice, then stirring in some chopped herbs and julienned radishes. Season to taste, and voila! There you have it.

- It was a little tricky to work the lemon juice into the butter, but persistence paid off (as it often does!)

- I used radishes from the farm box that are kind of reverse of regular radishes: red on inside, white outside

- I served the butter with Dan Lepard's Buttermilk Baps (rolls) - read my baps post here.

the verdict:

The radish herb butter proved to be quite popular with those who tried it at book group. I expected it to be crunchy, with a fresh and sharp radish taste, with the butter serving mainly as a binder. Instead the tastes of the radish, the butter and the herbs mingled and combined to produce a flavor that was mellow and warm, savory and rich. The spread was complemented nicely by the soft buttermilk rolls, but would be equally good with thin crackers. Or, of course, French bread rounds!

the recipe:

Radish Herb Butter
recipe adapted from Green City Market
and adapted from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate

1 stick (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
5 radishes, approximately, about 1 inch in diameter, washed and trimmed

  1. Cut the radishes into thin strips.
  2. In a bowl, beat the butter with a wooden spoon until smooth.
  3. Beat in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the chopped herbs .
  4. Stir in the radishes.

8 comments:

Jessica said...

Radishes with sweet butter and a little sea salt are a favorite in my family. I love the idea of incorporating all of them into one sort of spread. I'll definitely try this with my family the next time I'm home.

Megan said...

I recently discovered the joy of radishes (I used to dislike them immensely) - and anytime you can combine something with butter and bread and call it lunch sounds like a good thing to me!

natalia said...

Ciao ! This recipe is really lovely ! Thanks for finding it !

Unknown said...

Pretty picture Nancy! I don't think I've ever had radishes so I'm not sure I'd like this, but I love the idea of making a spread with butter and veggies - yum!

Kayte said...

Sounds great. I have had radish tea sandwiches before with a smear of sweet creamy butter and then very thin (paper thin you can see through thin) slices of radishes and those are really wonderful, so I am thinking this little concoction of yours would be really great as well. So pretty!

NKP said...

Mmm, I remember when Jude made this, I have always wanted to try it.
Looks delicious!

Cathy said...

Oooh - so interesting, and this really sounds like a butter worthy of all those fabulous breads you bake! I will need to give this one a try. BTW, I meant to tell you that I signed up for Grow Alabama for the spring - so excited to finally be hooked up with a CSA. I always love seeing what you do with the treasures in your farm box!

AmyRuth said...

Sounds so different, something I've never tried but I love peppery vegies. Thanks for showing us how its done. YAY
AmyRuth