At holiday time, butter isn’t just something you spread on your bread. Just a few ingredients can turn butter into a versatile sauce, perfect for drizzling over vegetables and turkey. Flavored butters are ideal for spreading on freshly baked bread and melting over mashed potatoes.

The following recipes are easy to make and feature popular seasonal ingredients. Roasted red peppers update a classic béarnaise sauce — serve it with poultry, steak and vegetables. A shallot bacon butter sauce is ideal for drizzling over potatoes. Try a flavored butter with pumpkin puree and five-spice powder — perfect for breakfast pastries, breads, sweet potatoes and carrots.

Save time and make sauces and flavored butters ahead — both can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Visit the butter Web site, www.butterisbest.com, for more great sauce and flavored butter recipes, along with helpful videos demonstrating how to make flavored butters and the Red Pepper Béarnaise Sauce.

Pumpkin Five-Spice Butter

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup canned or fresh pumpkin purée, strained
1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest, finely grated
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder (Bottled five-spice powder can often be found in supermarkets, specialty food stores or in Asian markets.)
Salt to taste

Optional: confectioners’ sugar or honey powder for sweeter applications
Optional: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:
Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl and with an electric mixer or wooden spoon, beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides.

Add pumpkin purée, zest and five-spice powder, scrapping down the sides of the bowl, and beat to incorporate all ingredients. Taste for five-spice powder and salt. Add confectioners’ sugar if desired. Stir in nuts if desired, and taste again for salt.

Scrape into a small bowl, serving crock or butter molds and cover tightly; or shape into a long roll in grease-proof paper (plastic, wax or parchment) for storing and slicing as needed.

Red Pepper Bernaise Sauce
Yields 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons. butter, softened
1/4 cup shallots, minced
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons butter, melted and hot
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a heavy skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add shallots, white wine, white wine vinegar and tarragon; bring to simmer. Continue to simmer, reducing liquid to 1 tablespoon. Set aside.

In a blender, combine egg yolks, water and lemon juice; blend on high for one minute. With blender still running, pour hot butter in a slow, steady stream, until mixture thickens. Add reserved shallot and white wine reduction and red pepper; puree until smooth.

Return sauce to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Store sauce in refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat to serve.

Shallot Bacon Butter Sauce
Yields 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
1/4 pound peppered bacon
1/4 cup shallots, diced
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a heavy skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon grease; drain any remaining grease from the pan. Coarsely chop bacon; set aside.

Return 1 tablespoon of. bacon fat to skillet. Add shallots, chives, white wine, and white wine vinegar; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce liquid to 2 tablespoons. Add cream and bring to a boil. Whisk in butter until melted, add in chopped bacon and continue stirring until sauce is hot. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Store sauce in refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat to serve.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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