The Pantry Dish

A long time ago I made this and stored it in a small ziplock container, but recently I found a different method that I hadn't considered on http://www.tastykitchen.com (posted by the lovely Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen).  What's nice about using parchment paper for this type of recipe is that you can easiy cut it into smaller pieces without having to use your measuring spoons.  This particular blend is perfect for making toasted garlic bread or sauteing with because it has a lot of garlic but you can easily adjust the level of flavoring by omitting one or two cloves from this recipe, or adding a few more herbs if you like. It takes cooking with butter to a whole new level. 

I used 4 garlic cloves because I love garlic but you can use less.

Add an 1/8th of a Tsp of salt per stick of butter that you use. 

Mash the garlic in any manner that you like.  Personally I like to use my little mortar because it contains all the oils from the garlic and it's easy to scoop it all out when it is finally done.

It should look like a creamy paste when you are done.

Three lonely Basil leaves never looked so beautiful to me :) 

Chop the basil leaves super fine then add them to the garlic paste.

Nice!

Pour the basil and garlic paste into another bowl and add a stick of butter or margarine.  Did I spell that right?

Mash them up together with a fork or spoon.  Take a slice of bread, spread a little on....mmmmmm.  K maybe you shouldn't.  It might be difficult to put it down. 

Pour your spread onto a large piece of parchment paper and roll it up.  Use your fingers to help push out any air pockets in the butter as you are forming it into a roll (about 1 inch thick or the same size as a stick of butter).  You can also use a ruler for this step or a placemat or sushi rolling mat if you have one

Twist the ends tight to seal it and put it back in the fridge to cool  & settle into its new shape & flavor.  When you are ready to use it (if you haven't dipped into it already), just cut as big of a piece that you are going to need with a sharp knife such as a steak knife.  You can use it on bread alone, toasted garlic cheese bread, saute pork chops and mushrooms, spread a little on your sandwich instead of mayonaise, etc.

Use your imagination!   

Enjoy!