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1
Choose a recipe then cream the softened butter with the other ingredients.
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2
Add a pinch of salt to each apart from the anchovy and bacon recipes and let sit at room temperature for at least an hour, best 2 to merge the flavours well
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3
Lay out a square of foil with a square of clingfilm wrap over the top and spoon the butter mixture onto the middle
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4
Hold each end of the film/foil like you're holding the mixture in a hammock and roll it back and forth to form a rough sausage shape
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5
Roll it to one end then using only the clingfilm, roll and wrap it completely
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6
Twist the ends tight.
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7
This will compact it and give it a good cylindrical shape
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8
Overwrap the clingfilm with a square of parchment paper, then wrap the foil around that
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9
Label it if you're making a few different kinds and put it in the freezer
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10
It will happily stay frozen for up to a month allowing you to cut discs off whenever you need them
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11
Alternatively you can spoon into ice cube trays and pop them out as needed or you can just store them in a small container as they are in the fridge for up to a week
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12
Although I've written what I use these butters for in the headings, you can use them for pretty much any savoury dish you want to.
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13
Spread them on toast, top a baked potato with a slice, tuck between a couple of burger patties, use as a basting rub, tuck into a fish foil parcel, fry stuff in it, toss into cooked veggies, mix with rice or pasta, whatever takes your fancy!
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14
*For the bacon compound butter you need to do some cooking.
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15
Preheat the oven to gas 6 / 2000C / 400F and line a baking tray with foil.
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16
Put the bacon on the tray and sprinkle a heaped tablespoon of brown sugar evenly over each slice.
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17
Bake until it goes crispy, around 12 minutes but keep watch so the sugar doesn't start to burn
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18
Let it cool then chop it as finely as you possibly can (if you can resist just eating it!
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19
), then follow the mixing, shaping and storing instructions above
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20
So delicious on toast or a bagel!
