We're back with Cider Culture, this time trying our hand at their Cider Sage Compound Butter recipe. Time is short Thanksgiving week, and this butter is a super quick make-ahead dish for Thanksgiving week that is perfect for all the in-between moments when you need a bunch of flavor in no time flat. Think: transforming you breakfast waffle, a quick toast snack, spread over easy roasted veggies, compound butter can take you anywhere!
Pro Tip: You can change up the flavor profile with whatever your little heart pleases, and compound butter freezes beautifully. We like to make big batches at a time, and roll small logs in plastic wrap to pull out of the freezer for those crazy weeknights when we need a super-fast veggie flavoring or something different to put on French bread.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced — this is a ton of sage flavor, so if it's not your thing, dial it back or swap out another herb like chives
- 3 ounces Treehorn Dry Cider
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- Kosher salt
Make It!
Full recipe, with tips and ideas, on Cider Culture. Sauté sage and shallots in 3 tbsp butter over medium 3-5 minutes until softened. Add the cider, reduce approximately 3-5 minutes. We went a full 5 minutes, probably could have gone a bit longer to fully reduce, but then again we're cooking on an objectively terrible home stove. Remove from heat and let cool to room temp. Glory in the smell of your kitchen (really, step out on the deck, then come back in. You're welcome).
Whip with remaining ingredients and salt to taste until creamy and smooth. We used salted butter to start and didn't need much additional salt. Serve at room temp or refrigerate covered until use. Or see above, freeze. Like any butter, always serve at room temperature. If refrigerated, microwave for a scant 5 seconds to smooth out.
Serving
We served on sliced pretzel bread from Holeman & Finch.
Little logs of cider sage butter and salted maple butter, ready to go into the freezer.
You could even buy small jars and give this out as gifts with a cute little ribbon!