4 flavoured steak butters you can whip up in minutes

Flavoured butters are easy to make and give you a simple and incredibly tasty way to complement and customise your steak.

A juicy steak with just salt and pepper is delicious and satisfying on its own, but when topped with a dollop of flavoured butter, it becomes a rich and unctuous affair, which is why many steakhouses offer a savoury pat of butter atop their sizzling cuts of meat.

Flavoured butters are better known in culinary terms as compound butters. It’s a fancy name for something that's extremely easy to make at home. But although simple to produce, you really shouldn't underestimate their flavourful power. 

Whether used to baste the meat or served as a dollop atop, compound butter is a great enhancer of a good quality cut; it doesn't mask the true nature of the steak, it just makes it better. There are classic combinations like a simple garlic and herb butter that you've likely tried in most steakhouses and in finer establishments, you've likely seen a blue cheese compound butter. 

Below, we tasked the cookery team at LIDL to create four flavourful butters that go perfectly with steak. From classic flavour combinations to unique spicy variations, here are four easy-to-make steak butters to elevate dinnertime. 

Blue cheese and walnut butter

Ingredients:

• 250g butter, softened
• 80g blue cheese, crumbled
• 40g walnuts, crushed
• 1 tbsp sage, chopped

Method:

1. Make sure all the ingredients have reached room temperature before mixing them.

2. In a medium bowl, combine softened butter with the blue cheese, crushed walnuts and sage.

3. Spoon the butter on a piece of parchment paper. Wrap and roll to create a cylinder shape. Store in the fridge or freezer.

4. To use, cut slices off the log and allow to melt over your steaks.

Red pepper and smoked paprika butter

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped roasted red pepper from a jar
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 0.25 tsp chillies in white wine vinegar
• 1 pinch black pepper

Method: 

1. Make sure all the ingredients have reached room temperature before mixing them.
2. In a medium bowl, combine softened butter with the chopped red pepper, paprika, fresh thyme, chillies and black peper.
3. Spoon the butter on a piece of parchment paper. Wrap and roll to create a cylinder shape. Store in the fridge or freezer.
4. To use, cut slices off the log and allow to melt over your steaks.

Garlic and herb butter

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 pinch black pepper

Method: 

1. Make sure all the ingredients have reached room temperature before mixing them.
2. In a medium bowl, combine softened butter with the crushed garlic, parsley, lemon zest and black pepper.
3. Spoon the butter on a piece of parchment paper. Wrap and roll to create a cylinder shape. Store in the fridge or freezer.
4. To use, cut slices off the log and allow to melt over your steaks.

Mustard butter

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp English mustard
• 1 tbsp chives, chopped

Method:

1. Make sure all the ingredients have reached room temperature before mixing them.
2. In a medium bowl, combine softened butter with the mustard and chives.
3. Spoon the butter on a piece of parchment paper. Wrap and roll to create a cylinder shape. Store in the fridge or freezer.
4. To use, cut slices off the log and allow to melt over your steaks.

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