Basil butter

This butter is delicious in mashed potatoes, with corn on the cob, or just tossed with hot cooked vegetables.
The ingredient list comes from The Afternoon Tea Book by Michael Smith, but the method comes from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers. Michael Smith suggests spreading basil butter on a chicken sandwich. You can also garnish a bowl of hot soup with a small spoonful of this butter.


½ c unsalted butter, very soft
1 tsp tomato paste
¼ tsp lemon juice, or to taste
¼ tsp sugar (optional)
¼ tsp salt, or to taste
¼ c packed chopped basil leaves

Make sure the butter is very soft. With a flexible spatula, mix all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Use the spatula to form the butter into a log on a piece of aluminum foil, plastic wrap or waxed paper. Wrap the log and close tightly. Refrigerate or freeze.

For the best flavour, place the wrapped butter in a labelled and dated plastic bag. The butter will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks and in the freezer for 6 months. To use frozen butter, let it warm up for a few minutes at room temperature, then slice off as much as you need.