Don't put off gathering all your fresh herbs from your garden or local farmers market. They will soon be gone. Now is the time to make your pesto while fresh basil is available (check out my older post for "Peggys Pesto"), it freezes great. One of my favorite recipes using fresh herbs is "Herb butter". I've been making this recipe for herb butter for years. It really enhances the flavor of everything. from Vegetables to meat, fish and poultry. And of course it has Lavender in it. Get together with a friend or two and make multiple batches, you might as well you already have the herbs. This can Makes a great hostess gift or put in a Christmas gift basket. Bon Appetite, Peggy
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
chopped fresh herbs as follows
1Tbs. parsley
1Tbs. tarragon
1 Tbs. chives
1Tbs. chervil
1 Tbs. thyme
1 Tsp. dried ground Lavender
2 gloves garlic mashed
2 large shallots chopped
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
With butter room temperature, mix all of the above ingredients together. Roll into 2 cylinders. Wrap in clear plastic wrap and freeze. Tip: it can be easier to roll if you refrigerate the butter to harden up a little. I also put it in a freezer bag once rolled and wrapped. When using, i just take the butter out of the freezer a few minutes before hand, and cut off the amount I want to use. Returning the rest to the freezer.
