Pass the butter please?

Today we have some very good friends coming over for a brunchy lunchy type thing. We're looking forward to it, will be lots of fun. Temperature is not supposed to get too hot, but it will be hot enough for a swim, and we'll be cooking a BBQ. Gotta love a BBQ!

To go with the meal, and to put on the bread, I'm making up a butter that we've had a few times, and is very tasty. It's from Ainsley Harriott's Barbecue Bible, which I can tell you gets a lot of usage from us in the warmer months.

Italian Pesto Butter

100g (4 oz) slightly salted butter, softened
2 tbsp pesto
2 heaped tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper*

Mix the butter with the rest of the ingredients. Spoon on to a sheet of clingfilm (or cling wrap as we call it here) or non-stick baking parchment, shape into a roll and wrap up tightly. Chill until firm or until required.

What I tend to do, instead of shaping into a roll in cling wrap is to put it into the dish that I'm going to serve it in, put cling wrap over the top of that.


* no, I don't know why he says to use only slightly salted butter, then add more salt. You can leave it out if you wish, is very tasty either way.