Garlic Scape Butter
*These twisty, curly, green stalks with a pronounced garlic taste are trimmed by clever farmers so that the plant puts its energy into bulb formation rather than reproducing, leaving cooks with a fleeting seasonal treat!
We like to use good quality pastured butter to complement the grassy flavor of scapes.
Ingredients
- 4 garlic scapes trimmed
- 4 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature cut into 2" pieces
- salt and ground pepper to taste
- 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Trim the woody ends off of the scapes and the pointy tip. Cut remaining stems into ½” chunks and transfer them to a food processor. Pulse to chop scapes until finely minced, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add butter piece by piece and keep pulsing, scraping down sides, until butter is smooth and speckled with green.
Season to taste with good-quality salt, freshly ground pepper, and lemon juice. Use a spatula to spoon butter into a small jar, and use wax paper or a piece of plastic as a buffer while you press it down into shape, removing any air holes. Refrigerate until cold.
Note: If you make your own butter, scapes also make an excellent addition to homemade butter.