Savory Ramp Compound Butter

Ramp season is so short, I have to take advantage of the wild ramps we have around us while I can.  This compound butter is a perfect way to enjoy ramps all year long...it can top grilled steak, fish, or chicken, be used to stuff under poultry skin before baking, frying eggs or potatoes, pretty much anything you would use simple butter for.  In fact, I put a little on a saltine cracker so I could taste it...the garlicky flavor of the ramps with a slight tang of lemon combined with the smooth butter is savory and delicious!

Savory Ramp Compound Butter

Ingredients:

1 lb ramps, trimmed and cleaned (click here for how to clean ramps)
2 lbs butter, room temperature (use a good quality butter for this)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Salt and pepper to taste (if you use unsalted butter, you will need to use more salt)

Directions:

Blanch the ramps by dropping them into a pot of boiling water for 1 minute.

Immediately drain them then cool with ice cold water...

...then drain in a colander...

...and dry them as much as possible by wrapping them in a towel or paper towel...

...until there is little water left.  I separated the green from the bulb for this step because the greens hold more water.

Chop the ramps into very small pieces; I used this chopping tool, you could also use a very sharp knife or a food processor.

Once everything is chopped, use a paper towel to remove any additional excess water (this photo doesn't have the greens in the bowl yet, but use the paper towel after the greens are in the bowl).

Mix the butter, lemon juice and zest and salt and pepper in a bowl.

Add the ramps and combine well.

Cut some freezer paper (or wax or parchment) into small squares, and place some of the butter in the center...

...and fold it like a package.

Place the package into a freezer bag, label and date it, push any excess air out of the bag, and store it in the freezer.  You can put more than one roll into the bag.  This recipe makes 2 1/2 cups of ramp compound butter.

When you are ready to use some of the butter, take a package out of the freezer and slice what you need.  You will be able to enjoy the flavor of ramps year-round!

I'm posting early today because I'm heading over to the John C Campbell Folk School to visit with my friend Patti (she is here from Missouri to take classes), who is a quilter and writes the Osage Bluff Quilter blog.  That's how we met, but we've never seen each other face to face!  I'm excited! 

For more awesome recipes, visit Flour Me With Love.

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise