Flavored Butter Pink Peppercorn Recipes

FIVE-PEPPERCORN FISH FILLETS

Steps:

• Put all the peppercorns in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Warm them, shaking the pan, until fragrant, a minute or two. Cool, then transfer to a mortar or electric spice mill. Pound with a pestle or pulse in the spice mill, shaking, to obtain a coarse powder. Reserve 1 tablespoon peppercorn mixture and store remainder.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon peppercorn mixture and swirl pan until foamy and beginning to brown. Add sage leaves and a good pinch of salt. Set aside, off the heat.
• Season fish fillets on both sides with salt and dust very lightly with flour. Put a wide cast-iron skillet over high heat and coat bottom with olive oil.
• When oil is hot, lay the fillets in the pan and let them brown gently, turning down heat as necessary. After 2 minutes, flip fish and cook until no longer translucent when probed, about 2 minutes more. Transfer fish to a warm platter or individual plates.
• Return butter sauce to stove over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and add citrus zest and juice. Stir well, then spoon sauce over fish and serve immediately.

SKILLET STEAK WITH PINK-PEPPERCORN BUTTER

Steps:

• Soak shallot in water 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grate 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, then remove peel and pith from lemon. Working over a bowl, cut between membranes to remove segments. Add drained shallot; season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, stir together butter, peppercorns, and zest; season with salt.
• Heat a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high; swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Season steak with salt and pepper; cook, undisturbed, until a dark crust forms, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip; cook about 3 minutes more for medium-rare. Brush with some of butter mixture; transfer to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Slice steak across the grain; season with salt. Toss lemon mixture with frisee, mint, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Serve steak with salad, baguette, and remaining butter mixture.

SALT-BAKED NEW POTATOES WITH PINK-PEPPERCORN BUTTER

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the potatoes.
• In a large bowl, mix the salt, rosemary needles, peppercorns and 1 cup water together with your hands, crushing the peppercorns a little between your fingers and bruising the rosemary needles to release their sticky oil, making a moist, fragrant and pink-and-green speckled sand. (You might have to add a few splashes of water if the mixture needs more moisture to feel like wet sand.)
• Transfer a little less than half this salt mixture into the bottom of a wide, shallow, heavy ovenproof skillet or casserole to make a salt bed about 1/2-inch thick.
• Nestle the potatoes into the sand, close to one another but not quite touching, if possible.
• Pack the rest of the salt mixture over the nestled potatoes, and rub and brush and smooth it with your hands until you have tightly encased the potatoes in a little salt sarcophagus. The rounded tops of the potatoes will just show as bumps under the salt cast.
• Bake the potatoes for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester easily pierces the potatoes and tests warm on your chin or the back of your hand. The salt casing will dry and harden like clay - and smell delicious while baking.
• While the potatoes roast, prepare the compound butter: Grind the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle with the whole branches of rosemary to create an oily, coarse powder. Remove the bruised rosemary sprigs, shaking off any clinging pink peppercorns, and discard. (You just want to extract the oily flavor from the rosemary, not the needles themselves.) In a small bowl, mash the oily peppercorn powder with the salted butter using a fork until well blended.
• To serve, rap the salt-packed potatoes forcefully on a sturdy surface that can handle it, to crack the salt crust from the force. A few solid raps will loosen the potatoes inside. If the cast needs a little more help, use a regular dinner knife like a spade to just pop open the salt crust along its fault lines. The potatoes are easily plucked from the dry salt. Set out with the compound butter in a small bowl on the side.

PEPPERCORN BUTTER

Steps:

• Place peppercorns and coriander seeds in a food processor and process until broken apart but with some texture.
• Add butter and combine.
• Place butter on sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log. Refrigerate for up to a week and then freeze, if not used.

FRIED CHICKEN AND BISCUITS WITH PINK PEPPERCORN-HONEY BUTTER

Steps:

• For pink peppercorn-lime honey:
• Place peppercorns in small skillet and stir over medium heat until slightly darker in color, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool in skillet. Using mortar with pestle, coarsely crush peppercorns. Transfer peppercorns to small bowl. Mix in honey, lime juice, lime peel, and 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before using. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.
• For pink peppercorn-honey butter:
• Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. Cover; chill. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Bring to room temperature before using.
• For chicken:
• Whisk 4 cups buttermilk, 2 tablespoons coarse salt, and hot pepper sauce in large bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat and press to submerge. Cover and chill overnight. Drain and pat dry.
• Place rack on large rimmed baking sheet. Whisk flour and next 4 ingredients in another large bowl. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper. Divide flour mixture between 2 wide shallow bowls. Place 2 cups buttermilk in medium bowl between bowls of flour mixture.
• Dredge chicken, 1 piece at a time, in 1 bowl of flour mixture, then buttermilk, then in second bowl of flour, gently tapping off excess. Place on prepared rack and let airdry 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, place another rack on another large rimmed baking sheet. Pour enough oil into heavy large pot to reach depth of 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Attach deep-fry thermometer to side of pot. Heat oil over medium-high heat to 280°F to 300°F. Working with 3 chicken pieces at a time, fry until deep golden brown and cooked through, adjusting heat to maintain oil temperature, 12 to 14 minutes per batch. Transfer to clean rack on baking sheet.
• Place 2 chicken pieces on each plate. Place biscuits alongside chicken. Serve with pink-peppercorn butter and honey.

RASPBERRY & PINK PEPPERCORN MERINGUES

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Beat in extract and food coloring if desired., Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert a large star tip. Fill bag with egg white mixture. Pipe 1-1/4-in.-diameter cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 300° for 20-25 minutes or until set and dry. (Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour.) Remove to wire racks., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies; sprinkle with peppercorns. Store in an airtight container.

FLAVORED BUTTER: PINK PEPPERCORN

Steps:

• Grind peppercorns as fine or coarse as you like with in a mortar and pestle and mix ingredients well.
• FOR GIFT:.
• Wrap each butter roll in foil and then tissue paper, twisting the ends like a sweet wrapper.
• Add a label with the flavor.
• Include suggestions for uses or recipes and bundle together in a gift basket.