Chive, Basil & Radish Butter

Just a quick post to share with you one of our favorite spring and summer toppings/spreads/oils/schmears/indulgences: chive butter.  I've extolled the virtues of sweet and spicy radish butter before.  I'll probably do it again.  

What I love most about it is that you can vary it endlessly.  This summer it's all about adding minced chives from the garden, along with whatever herbs are looking great in the garden at a given moment.  Today I ran out into the rain and snipped off a big leafy bunch of purple basil, so we got the one-two-three combo of chives, basil & radishes.  It doesn't take much to transform butter, which is pretty perfect on its own, into something transcendent.  

For this combo, I soften a stick of butter, then mince a handful of fresh chives, a few leaves of basil, and one or two radishes.  I then stir it all together, along with a sprinkling of sea salt, since my butter is unsalted.  You can add pepper, too, although the radishes from our garden are pretty peppery, so I didn't.

Then you've got a spread for sandwiches (I like it for cucumber sandwiches; Mr. Magpie likes it on turkey or roast beef) or crackers.  It's also gorgeous tossed with steamed veggies or rice, or added at the end of a saute for pasta.  In fact, you can toss just this in with some cooked pasta and some grated parmesan--heaven!  It's great for making omelets, too!  We keep a bowl of it in the fridge so we can use it whenever we want.

I so hope you'll enjoy this, my friends!