 |
| Compound butters wake up our palates. |
Hurray! Back in action after many weeks off-line. Getting back into our groove, I'll look to our travel for creative ideas. This savory butter is inspired by a fantastic dish I enjoyed while on vacation in Florida.
Whenever we visit our family in Vero Beach, Jeff and I try to make time for one meal at the Ocean Grill. My very first meal here was with 'Gramma Z', Jeff's maternal grandmother. She was a remarkable woman who made magical dinner conversations (an cocktails were always an EVENT!).
Located in the beach shopping district, the Ocean Grill sits on a sand dune and the dining room looks out over the Atlantic Ocean. Less than 200 yards of sand between you and the crashing waves! We like to relax and chat while watching the sun set, munching on crackers and their divine blue cheese spread. This time I ordered the fish special for dinner: roasted cobia (had never heard of this fish) with pecan butter. It was delicious! Upon arriving home, cobia popped up on my twitter feed with an article about it and Legal Seafoods. Seafood fans - keep a lookout for this tasty fish!
Savory Pecan Butter
inspired by the Ocean Grill
Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened to room temp
1/2 large yellow onion (or 1 small)
4 cloves of garlic
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c pecans
1 t brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. One stick of unsalted butter will soften to room temperature after about a half hour on your countertop.
2. Cut a large yellow onion in half. Reserve one half for another use. Peel and cut in two the remaining piece. I pulse a small food processor to chop the onion and garlic finely. Then I put the minced onion and garlic in a bowl with the softened butter. The lemon juice and zest goes in as well.
3. I use the same processor to mince the pecans together with the brown sugar. I find the sugar keeps the pecans from turning to butter.
4. Mash all the ingredients together and then put onto a piece of wax paper. Using the wax paper, shape the butter into a log, wrap and twist the ends. Put in the freezer for future use. (You can date it with a sharpie. Best consumed within 6 months.)
Whenever we visit our family in Vero Beach, Jeff and I try to make time for one meal at the Ocean Grill. My very first meal here was with 'Gramma Z', Jeff's maternal grandmother. She was a remarkable woman who made magical dinner conversations (an cocktails were always an EVENT!).
Located in the beach shopping district, the Ocean Grill sits on a sand dune and the dining room looks out over the Atlantic Ocean. Less than 200 yards of sand between you and the crashing waves! We like to relax and chat while watching the sun set, munching on crackers and their divine blue cheese spread. This time I ordered the fish special for dinner: roasted cobia (had never heard of this fish) with pecan butter. It was delicious! Upon arriving home, cobia popped up on my twitter feed with an article about it and Legal Seafoods. Seafood fans - keep a lookout for this tasty fish!
 |
| Tonight I used this butter to dress up steamed green beans; great on roasted swordfish and cajun rib-eye steaks, too! |
inspired by the Ocean Grill
Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened to room temp
1/2 large yellow onion (or 1 small)
4 cloves of garlic
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c pecans
1 t brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. One stick of unsalted butter will soften to room temperature after about a half hour on your countertop.
2. Cut a large yellow onion in half. Reserve one half for another use. Peel and cut in two the remaining piece. I pulse a small food processor to chop the onion and garlic finely. Then I put the minced onion and garlic in a bowl with the softened butter. The lemon juice and zest goes in as well.
3. I use the same processor to mince the pecans together with the brown sugar. I find the sugar keeps the pecans from turning to butter.
4. Mash all the ingredients together and then put onto a piece of wax paper. Using the wax paper, shape the butter into a log, wrap and twist the ends. Put in the freezer for future use. (You can date it with a sharpie. Best consumed within 6 months.)
