As you may recall, I picked up a pound of garlic scapes at our CSA a couple weeks ago. Garlic scapes are the shoots that come up in the middle of garlic plants in the early spring. If not picked, the scape will go to flower and much of the plant’s energy will be used at that end of the plant instead of for the garlic bulb. The good news is that scapes have a wonderful garlic flavor and they’re good for a number of things, including adding to salads, making pesto and pickling.
But, I think my favorite way to use garlic scapes, at least at this moment, is in compound butter. It couldn’t be easier and it’s a great way to impress people and make ordinary toast more exciting. I whipped up 4 sticks of compound butter in just a few minutes the other day and I suggest you do the same.
Ingredients
- 1 stick salted butter, softened
- 1-2 garlic scapes
- zest, from 1/4 of a lemon
Instructions
- Chop the garlic scapes into small pieces, about a quarter of an inch each. Add the pieces to the bowl of a food processor and chop until fine.
- Add the butter (you may need to give it a rough chop in order for it to fit in the food processor) and the lemon zest to the garlic scapes.
- Puree in the food processor until all ingredients are evenly combined
- For immediate use, place the compound butter in a jar or plastic container. Store in the fridge for up to a couple weeks
- For longer term storage, place the compound butter on a piece of wax paper, roll it into a log and twist the ends. See the image below. For additional protection, place the roll of butter into a plastic zipper bag. Store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
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