Ramp Butter

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Make a compound butter with this ephemeral green—and watch your favorite fat's flavor profile soar.

Yield:
Makes 1/2 cup

Ramps are some of Martha's favorite seasonal vegetables. The foraged greens, which have an assertive, garlicky flavor and are members of the onion family, have a short window of availability, so you'll have to move fast when you see them at the farmers' market. One way to use up your bunch? Make a compound butter, using softened butter, finely chopped ramps (and their the leaves, too), salt, pepper, and lemon zest.

Martha originally shared this recipe with us on the air a few years ago, but it's still one of our favorite things to make come ramp season; use your ramp butter on everything from crunchy bread to steak. Go ahead and make an extra batch for the freezer, so you can enjoy ramps all year long.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 2 to 3 ramps, cleaned, white part minced, green parts halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest

  • ¼ teaspoon coarse salt

  • teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients:

    Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined.

  2. Wrap and twist ends to seal:

    Transfer butter to a piece of plastic wrap and roll gently to form an even log; wrap and twist ends to seal. Butter may be kept refrigerated for up to 1 week.

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