Friday, June 24, 2011

Strawberry Honey Butter


Last Sunday I called my dad to wish him a happy Father's Day. I couldn't help thinking that now that all five of his daughters are happily married, this may be his best Father's Day ever. Although none of us have lived at home in a long time, as long as one of us was single, Dad always got the distress calls. He can breath a sigh of relief. Now he has son-in-laws. No more calls about cars that aren't running right or flat tires or appliances that don't work, those are all someone else's problems now. No more, "Hey Dad I need you to help me move...again." This too, no longer his worry. There are countless other things, both minor and important that we'd call on dad to fix. We all still call and ask for advice from time to time, but it's no longer his sole responsibility to come to our rescue every time something goes wrong for one of us girls. Now when the washing machine runs over or the air conditioner quits working, we call our husbands. That fact alone may have made this his best Father's Day ever.


I hadn't meant for this to be a belated Father's Day post but I can't help thinking of my dad anytime I make something with strawberries. He has a long standing love affair with strawberries. In fact, when asked recently why he started a hydroponic strawberry farm, he jokingly replied, "So I can eat all the strawberries I want." I suspect there was more than a little truth in that statement.
Enjoy your freedom Dad, but don't be surprised if the phone rings!

Strawberry Honey Butter
source: Gourmet/May 1990
(Printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 pint strawberries, hulled
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

Method:
In a food processor purée the strawberries and force the purée through a fine sieve into a saucepan. Add the honey and the lemon juice and boil the mixture, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until it is thickened. Let the strawberry mixture cool to room temperature. In a bowl cream together the butter and the strawberry mixture. Let the butter stand, covered, in a cool place for 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop.
This butter is delicious, especially on whole grain bagels!
Add some rick-rack and you've got a great hostess gift!

68 comments:

mitzi said...

Dumb question: heating the strawberries is like blanching peas?
Refrig life? This is perfect timing - I have all ingredients and need to use up some really good strawberries before they go bad.

Half Baked said...

I think it just helps to thicken them a little so that they combine better with the butter. It should last a couple of weeks easily. Not that mine will be around that long!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

With 5 daughters your dad certainly had his hands full, but he will probably miss the late night calls.

Nikki said...

What a lovely recipe! I, too, have a love-affair with strawberries so this has made me very happy! Maybe your dad will miss the phone calls but I expect that what made it the best fathers day was knowing all of his daughters are happy and settled! It must be a nice feeling.

Hi from your newest follower (& fan!) // inspirenordic.blogspot.com

mommyk8 said...

How long will this keep if refrigerated?

mommyk8 said...

How long will this keep, if refrigerated?

Half Baked said...

@mommyk8 It should keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

grace said...

your pop sounds like a great man, and one who has a lot of which to be proud! great post, and sensational batch o' butter!

Megan said...

This was so yummy! I made some today and blogged the recipe with links back to you! Thanks for the awesome idea. Can't wait until breakfast tomorrow!

Unknown said...

Hi, this recipe looks amazing!! I do have one question though: what kind of honey do you use? I know there are several different kinds, like clove honey or orange blossom. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Hi this recipe looks amazing!! I was just wondering what type of honey you use, since I know there are a few kinds (clover, orange blossom, etc). Thanks!! Alison

Half Baked said...

Hi Alison, I used a local honey I bought at the farmers market. i'm not sure, the label doesn't say but I believe it's clover honey.

Anonymous said...

I make this and use it as a spread for a strawberry loaf. Yummy!

Missy said...

Do you have any nutrional info for this recipe?

Half Baked said...

Hi Missy, No I don't have any specific nutritional info for this recipe but butter has 100 calories per tablespoon, strawberries are about 25 per 1/2 cup and honey has 65 per tablespoon so I'd guesstimate that there are roughly 120 calories per tablespoon. I don't know how that breaks down by fat and sugars. Hope that helps!

GrammiePammie said...

Hi, I was wondering what would happen if left out the seive step. I don't have one. Thanks, Pam

Half Baked said...

Hi Pam, Yes you can definitely leave that step out if you want. I just didn't want the seeds in mine but if you don't mind the seed, just skip that step!

GrammiePammie said...

Wow, that was quick, thanks!!BTW, I pinned this on pintrest and it has been re-pinned over 2,000 times!!

Half Baked said...

Pam, Wow 2000 pins! That's unbelievable! Cool. Thanks for the pin!!

Daphne said...

My dad had three girls and even though we're all married to great, smart, handy husbands, I still call mine! LOL! It's usually when my husband is out of town. I know deep down he still likes to get those calls every now and then to feel needed! :)

Anonymous said...

ok i made mine
it looks a lot darker then yours and nots as thick looking
i added all the ingredits right
so what did i do wrong

Half Baked said...

Anonymous, I can't say for sure what may have gone wrong but maybe you had very juicy berries and needed to cook the puree a little longer so that it was thicker. I'm thinking that more juice would also make the finally product darker too. This is just a guess but I hope it helped!

Trish said...

How much does this recipe yield? Thanks!

Half Baked said...

Hi Trish, I got about a little over
1 1/2 cups.

Anonymous said...

Could this be lacto-fermented with some whey for a longer life and added health benefits? Does any one know?

Thanks!

Cove Girl said...

Could you use frozen strawberries for the off season?

Half Baked said...

Cove girl,
I haven't tried it with frozen strawberries but I think they would work. You may have to cook them just a little longer to thicken them. Let me know if you try it!

WhileHeWasOut said...

Great idea! Perfect name day gift for my sweet toothed mum :)

Anonymous said...

I just made this and it is phenomenal. I have so many strawberries, can this be made and then frozen to bring out later? Thank you.

Mandy Mo. {Tar Heel Charm} said...

I'm one of four daughters who finally got herself married, so I can totally relate! I'm thinking about making this for Mother's Day brunch, I think it would be a huge hit.

Half Baked said...

@Anonymous, I froze some and it was great when thawed. The color was a little darker after being frozen but it tasted the same.

Unknown said...

I tried out your recipe for mother's day & it's fantastic. I should have cooked my strawberries down longer though. Mine came out a bit runnier, and a lot darker, but it still taste great! I had some this morning for breakfast, and then again for desert after dinner! I mixed it with some hazelnut spread on a cinamon raisin english muffin, and it was devine! I blog my results over @ http://365daysofdiy.blogspot.com/2012/05/stawbuttery-and-black-white-oreo-fudge.html Thanks for sharing, chris!

Anonymous said...

Made this on sunday night, have been eating toast with it everyday!!

Arkansas transplant said...

So much better than just Honey Butter. Thanks. Love strawberries almost any way.

Arkansas transplant said...

So much better than just Honey Butter. Thanks. Love strawberries almost any way.

Felia said...

This looks really beautiful and tasty, although I can't imagine having strawberries and butter together. But as it looks amazing I have to give it a try!!!

Anonymous said...

Ok Right this is something tasty or in other words appears to be tasty but i am not sure how does it taste like, umm thinking about giving it a try..!

Donika@momwhats4dinner said...

This looks delicious! I had pinned it hoping to try it out during strawberry season, forgot about it so now I have to wait till next year! Hopefully I won't forget about it again!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, that looks amazing!!!! I can imagine myself putting it on everything! :)

Anonymous said...

Hi! So glad I found this! I've always loved strawberry butter, but adding the honey sounds delicious! I was planning to make stawberry butter and give it away as my wedding favors. We were hoping to make it a few weeks before hand if possible...Have you ever tried freezing it? or canning it?

Half Baked said...

I don't think canning it is possible but I have frozen it before. It tastes fine. I did notice that the color darken a little bit after being frozen. Other than that I didn't notice any difference after it had been frozen. Hope that helps! Good luck!
Paula

Unknown said...

Addicting! I love it on toasted bagels. Mmmmm! Thanks for the post :-)

Half Baked said...

Glad you like it! I love it on bagels too!!

Unknown said...

Instead of a food processor, could I use a blender? I don't have a food processor.

Half Baked said...

Hi Tiffany,
Sure a blender will work too.

Anonymous said...

Can you actually can this using a water bath?

Half Baked said...

Np I don't think that this can be canned but it freezes well!

pet said...

I'm a little confused... I have frozen strawberries in the freezer which I plan to thaw. After I thaw them am I suppose to cook the strawberries in a pan with the lemon juice and honey? Or do I use something like a potato masher to squeeze the juice from strawberries and add the juice only to the lemon and honey? I want to make sure I'm doing this correct.

Half Baked said...

Hi Pet,
I put the strawberries into the food processor and chopped them then forced them through a sieve just to get rid of some of the seeds. I used fresh berries and this was the easiest way to get them finely chopped. Berries that had been frozen and thawed should mash up pretty easily so can mash them with a potato masher if you want instead of putting them into the food processor. If you don't mind the seeds you can skip forcing the strawberries through the sieve. I prefer less seeds so I strained mine. Then you will need to cook the strawberries with honey and lemon juice for about 3 minutes just until they thicken up some. Let this mixture cool and mix in the softened butter. Hope that helps!

Pet said...

Thank you so much for responding. Now I understand :) I will try this today!

Carmela (Sunflower) said...

Thanks for your recipe, i love it.

http://losinventosdecarmela.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/mantequilla-de-fresas-y-miel.html

Unknown said...

Hi! This looks amazing! Unfortunately I need to change my diet around due to medical issues - meaning no dairy or soy. Have you heard of anyone using this with a butter substitution like vegan margarine?

Half Baked said...

Hi Laura,
Sorry I haven't tried any butter substitutions. If you decide to try one, let me know how it turns out!
Paula

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Unknown said...

Hello, did you know that butter can be canned with a shelf life of three years, and honey keeps way beyond that, not sure on the fruit, but maybe we can look into canning it... Would be a nice treats to always have on your shelf....

Anonymous said...

I've been using coconut butter on my toast as a substitute for butter in the hope of consuming as many healthy fats as possible. Do you think the recipe will work if I sub coconut butter for regular butter instead? Cheers, Danielle

xo Lindsay said...

Delicious! Had this on an english muffin today and it was amazing! Great for the summer, cant wait to make this for others. Thank you for sharing! Simple, tasty recipe!

xo Lindsay said...

Delicious! Had this on an english muffin today and it was amazing! Great for the summer, cant wait to make this for others. Thank you for sharing! Simple, tasty recipe!

Unknown said...

It does!!! I never use butter so I had to try this with coconut oil and it's still amazing.

Unknown said...

Coconut oil is amazing in this recipe!

Unknown said...

Why do I have to use unsalted butter?

Half Baked said...

Hi kimberly, I used unsalted butter because it has a more of sweet cream flavor that I thought would compliment the strawberries. However if you don't have unsalted butter I'm sure salted butter will be fine too!

mxmomma05 said...

Oh my...so easy and really beautiful in the cute little jar! I am making this immediately and plan to share as gifts for my neighbors.(2 for me and 1 for you...3 for me and...lol)..thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

I think I need to take some strawberries out of the freezer to make this ASAP. I am also thinking maybe I could just use some of my homemade strawberry jam and cook it down with the honey. This sounds heavenly on some homemade toasted English muffin bread. I could also see this with raspberries, yummy.

Jessica said...

Would margarine be okay? I don't use real butter.

Anonymous said...

I have made this several times now and it is extremely scrumptious!! I am curious though does anyone know how long this keeps in the fridge?

V said...

Added this to a blog post I wrote and cited you: http://longtermcarelink.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/easy-and-inexpensive-christmas-gifts/ Thank you for blogging some great crafts!