Wild garlic butter bursting with Spring flavours
Wild garlic:
Also known as ramsons, bear’s garlic or leek, or buckrams, this is one of the most flavourful wild plants you can find. It grows in damp wood, fields, or hedgerows.
Wild garlic has a short season. Depending on where you live, you can go foraging between April and June. It is at its peak at the moment locally here in Kent, so now is the time to go picking, depending on the weather, mid to late April is the best time for it. It’s preferable to pick it while it still has no (or just a few) flowers, once the flowers appear, the leaves will toughen and lose some of their aroma.
And just make sure you are picking the right plant, confusing it with the Lily of the Valley or other plants is extremely dangerous! As always when foraging, be 100% sure that you are picking the right plant and what you pick is safe to eat.
This wild garlic butter is the most flavorful, incredible herb butter you could possibly make. The season is short and every year I try to make the most of it. From the usual pesto to bread/scones or risotto, wild garlic is super versatile and adds flavour to anything you add it too!
How to make the herb butter?
You can make the spread either by mixing it in a bowl or in a food processor. Both ways are fine, the main difference is the colour of the mixture. If you mix it in a bowl with a spoon the mixture will remain white with streaks of green. If you mix it in the food processor, the leaves will be finer chopped, and the spread will be vibrantly green. Either way, it will taste amazing!
Make sure the butter is at room temperature, otherwise you will not be able to mix it properly with the chopped garlic leaves. Place it in a bowl and leave it at room temperature for several hours.
Make sure you rinse and dry the leaves very well.
Mixer or hand:
Chop the leaves very finely.
Beat the softened butter until creamy, add leaves, salt, and pepper to taste, and about 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir very well to combine.
Taste and add more salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice. The amount of salt you need depends on you using salted or unsalted butter. I usually add 1 extra tablespoon of lemon juice, but make sure you add to your taste.
If you don’t want to use a mixer is fine as well. Mix all the ingredients with a spoon in a bowl and adjust the taste.
Food processor:
I use the Thermomix to make the wild garlic butter.
Roughly chop the leaves, place them in the food processor, and process for a few seconds until they are rather fine. Scrape down the walls of the machine.
Add the softened butter, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Process for a few seconds again until well combined. Scrape the mixture down the walls of the machine again and make sure everything is properly mixed.
Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl.
Your garlic butter will keep in the fridge for a few weeks or in the freezer for 3-4 months. Try some melted on your steak.... delicious!