Here’s a compound better recipe that’s part of a larger recipe from Food & Wine. The idea is to top a steak with it straight off the grill or out of the frypan.
While the premise is good, I can’t help but think the recipe is flawed. You’ll see that it calls for a quarter cup of soy sauce and 1T of rice vinegar for cooking the shallots. I believe the amounts should be opposite, with only 1T of soy sauce. The resulting butter from the recipe, as written, is overpoweringly salty to me, though a friend disagreed.
The funny thing with this recipe is that it calls for shiso (also known in the States as “perilla”), which can usually be found at Asian markets. I was just thinking of where to source it for this recipe when a friend texted asking if I needed some shiso, as they grow it and had tons. So, this was made with shiso straight off the plant. I clearly remember the first time I tasted shiso, in Japan. It’s an unforgettable flavor.
Though it may or may not be too salty, I do recommend letting it melt over your next steak while it’s resting. The shiso imparts a wonderful flavor. Come to think of it, you could also melt it atop roasted vegetables.
What you’ll need
- 2T olive oil
- Enough shallots (5 or so?) for a cup of them finely chopped
- 0.25 cups soy sauce
- 1T rice vinegar
- 0.25 cups unsalted butter, softened—I recommend using a good, higher-fat butter, like Kerrygold or similar
- 1t ground black pepper
- 1t salt—completely unneeded with all the soy sauce!
- 14 fresh shiso leaves, finely chopped (about 0.25 cups)—you could use basil if shiso is unavailable
What to do
Heat the oil in a medium frypan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook them, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown—about 8 minutes. Add the soy sauce and rice vinegar and continue cooking until the liquid has mostly evaporated. The mixture should have a jam-like consistency. Transfer the shallots to a medium bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
When the shallots have cooled add the softened butter and pepper to the shallots and mix with a rubber spatula until completely combined. Stir in the shiso or basil until fully combined. Put the bowl in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes so the butter firms a bit.
When it’s a little more firm, form the butter with a rubber spatula into a ball within the bowl, then transfer it to a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll the butter into a short log and let it fully chill before using. It should stay good for a week in the refrigerator.
Leave a Reply