Scottish Inspiration – Compound Mushroom Butter

In the fall of 2023, my wife Marci and I were lucky enough to take a trip to Scotland. It was a wonderful vacation.

Because of the weather, traveling to Scotland in early November is a gamble. But for us it paid off. The week before our venture there were raging storms and floods. We were prepared to hike in the rain, although nothing that extreme. Luckily, the weather was with us; it was spectacular.

It was sunny and warm almost every day we were there. Not what one would expect in Scotland that time of year. Blue skies and fluffy clouds filled the incredible views. There was only one rainy morning, and the diversion caused by the weather turned out to be one of our favorite stops of the trip. At the suggestion of our bed and breakfast host, instead of hiking we went to a small out-of-the-way kirk or Scottish church. It had stunning views along a loch and was filled with an odd assortment of the most beautiful and varied artifacts, scavenged from other churches around Europe. It was perfect for the only day it rained.

When Marci and I travel, we tend to have a pattern; we start with a few days in a big city and then work our way around less populated small towns and rural areas in a rental car. The latter part of this trip to Scotland took us to the Isle of Skye.

Another tradition when traveling is eating well. This always includes inexpensive street food and restaurants serving local specialties. (Scotland had the best fish and chips, period.) We also try to have at least one fancy, expensive meal. In Scotland that meal was at Edinbane Lodge, the inn where we stayed on the Isle of Skye. The chef had won various awards in England and we opted for the multicourse tasting menu.

It was over the top. There were oyster beignets, barbequed mussels, and crackers with scallop roe and seaweed. We also ate sea scallops dressed in seaweed butter, fresh monkfish doused in a cold-water shrimp sauce, and lamb accompanied by local artichokes. There were little tartlets, some savory and some sweet, 11 courses in total. But of all the beautiful and delicious dishes, the taste that stood out the most was the butter that accompanied the bread.

It wasn’t just regular, high fat European butter, which would have been good enough, it was compound butter, softened and combined with herbs or spices to enhance its flavor as a spread. We were served compound mushroom butter. It had all the richness of high-quality butter combined with the intense earthy savoriness of mushrooms. It was not the prettiest of our dishes that evening, yet it was so simple and refined. It was a bite that I knew I would have to recreate.

When we returned from our trip and got settled at home, I made an attempt at compound mushroom butter. I sauteed mushrooms into submission and gave them a turn in the food processor. Mixed with softened butter, the flavor was good. But I couldn’t get the texture of the mushrooms right; it wouldn’t properly combine with the butter and spread evenly on slices of bread. No matter how much I pulverized it in the food processor, I couldn’t get the mushrooms into small enough fragments to make a proper paste. So, I let it be.

A couple of weeks ago some friends were going to be coming over for a fancy dinner. When I thought about what these friends would like to eat, I immediately recalled compound mushroom butter. I had to give it another try.

This time I added additional ingredients to boost the flavor and after pulverizing the vegetables, I turned them through an old-fashioned food mill. This made for a fine mushroom paste that easily combined with the softened butter. The result, although not pretty, was perfect. It was the full flavor and texture for which I had been searching, and brought me right back to the fine dining, multicourse meal we enjoyed that fall evening on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

Compound Mushroom Butter

Inspired by a fancy meal on our trip to Scotland, this compound mushroom butter can be made ahead of time and freezes easily. Thus, it should almost be a requirement at any fancy meal, both because it is delicious and because it requires no last-minute preparation. It will totally impress your guests.

45 minutes, plus at least a few hours to cool, makes ½ pound

8 oz. high quality butter, such as French or Irish butter, at room temperature

¼ oz. dried porcini mushrooms

8 oz. mixed fresh mushrooms, such as button, cremini, shiitake, and/or oyster, sliced or torn into pieces

1 large shallot, minced

1 tsp. fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems and minced

¼ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar

1. Have butter at room temperature. It must be soft to incorporate the mushroom paste.
2. Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a heat-proof bowl and pour about a cup of boiling water over them. Allow to reconstitute for a half hour. When soft, chop into small pieces, set aside, and reserve the soaking liquid.
3. Heat two tablespoons of butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When melted, add fresh mushrooms and sauté for about five minutes. Add shallots, porcini, and thyme, and continue to sauté, stirring occasionally until mushrooms and shallots are soft and mushrooms have released their liquid, an additional five to ten minutes. Add salt, pepper, sherry vinegar, and about half of the mushroom soaking water (being careful to leave any sediment behind), and keep cooking for another few minutes until much of the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated. Add more of the mushroom soaking water if the mushrooms are not fully soft and if pan gets too dry and the mushrooms start to scorch. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Once cool, scrape mushroom mixture into a food processor and process, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, until the mixture is broken down and pureed.
5. Scrape mushroom puree into a food mill and place over a large bowl. Turn the handle until you have at least a few tablespoons of very fine mushroom paste. (Because of their fibrous nature, you may not be able to squeeze all of the mushroom puree through the food mill. Reserve any that does not pass through to make Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pâté.)
6. Mix 2 tablespoons of mushroom paste with room temperature butter. Stir until well combined. Add more mushroom paste, salt, or pepper to taste.
7. Use mushroom butter immediately or put it in small saucers and place in refrigerator until firm. Remove and bring to room temperature before serving.
8. To freeze, place compound butter in a bowl in the refrigerator for several hours until it solidifies. Scrape the butter out of the bowl and shape into a rough log on a piece of parchment paper. Roll the butter on the counter inside the parchment paper into a smooth, even log, about one to one and a half inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze, cutting off portions as needed.

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