Akumal Foodie: Interesting Butters

Perk up dishes you usually prepare with seasoned butter — add a slice of garlic-parsley butter on a just-grilled burger right before serving for a rich finish; top a salmon filet with lime-herb butter to add lush citrusy overtones; sauté shrimp in ginger-curry butter; brush bleu cheese butter on grilled steak or vegetables; add any flavor to pasta, soups or stir-fries.

Finding good butter in Mexico can be challenging; most brands have vegetable oil added that may not be listed on the label. (Regulations as to what qualifies as “butter” are different than in the U.S. or Canada.)  You may be lucky enough to find Flor de Alfalfa brand organic butter from Querétaro, but your best bet is to use imported butters like President from France, Danish Lurpak, or Kerrygold from Ireland.

All of the recipes below use the same process. Put slightly softened butter in a food processor or bowl. Add the other ingredients and salt to taste; mix well — or for a different look, only mix a little, so that the add-ins create more of a marbled effect.

Scrape butter onto a piece of waxed or parchment paper large enough to tightly roll into a log about 1½ inches in diameter. Twist the ends to seal and refrigerate or freeze. When ready to use, just cut off a slice.

Garlic-Parsley Butter

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

¼ c. packed fresh parsley leaves

1 Tbsp. juice plus 2 tsp. zest from 1 lemon

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lime-Herb Butter

2 tsp. fresh lime juice + zest from 2 lim

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

8 sprigs fresh cilantro

¼ tsp. salt

⅛ tsp. black pepper

⅛ tsp. cayenne or pinch of red pepper flakes

Chipotle Butter

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

1½ Tbsp. canned chipotle chile, minced

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

¼ tsp. coarse salt

Jalapeño Lime Butter

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

½-1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, minced

Juice of 1 lime

¼ tsp coarse salt

Smoked Paprika and Rosemary Butter

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary

1 tsp. smoked paprika

½ tsp. salt

Cinnamon Maple Butter

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

Ginger-Curry Butter

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

½ tsp. freshly grated peeled ginger

¼ – ½ tsp. curry powder

Salt to taste

Blue Cheese Butter

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

½ c. blue cheese or gorgonzola (add more or less as desired)

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic-Herb Butter

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

¼ tsp. coarse salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Fresh Lemon and Black Pepper Butter

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, zested lemons reserved

1 tsp. finely chopped garlic

1 tsp. salt, plus more as needed

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

Sundried Tomato Butter

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil

⅓ c.  finely chopped sundried tomatoes

¼ tsp. coarse salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

♦ Full article at  Make butter better with these flavorful add-ins (mexiconewsdaily.com)

Janet Blaser is the author of the best-selling book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, featured on CNBC and MarketWatch. She has lived in Mexico since 2006. You can find her on Facebook.