I love the seasonal mushrooms- chanterelles, morels, porcini- what could be better!? Well, they all could be better, really. They could be less of a pain in the butt to clean. They could have longer growing seasons. They could not require a second mortgage to make a dinner out of them. Bottom line, they could be more… accessible. Enter be-all fix-all, the one thing that makes everything better- butter!

Compound butters are the brilliant way to extend the life of expensive seasonal mushrooms. Here’s how:

  • Buy a small amount, 1/4 lb or so- wash well and saute them.
  • When the cooked mushroms have cooled, chop them up and blend into a pound of butter.
  • Roll the mushroom butter into a log wrap tightly in plastic and store in the freezer.
  • Pull the butter out of the freezer to top roasted or grilled meats (like my steak), use it to saute vegetables or whisk it into chicken stock with a touch of cream and parmesan for an instant pasta sauce.