This recipe makes much more than you’ll need for one meal, but you won’t be sorry you have extra—it spruces up everything from toasted bread and steamed vegetables to grilled fish or chicken.

Ingredients

　　1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

　　4 roasted garlic cloves (see Know-how, page 186)

　　1/4 cup fresh parsley

　　1 scallion, trimmed and chopped

　　1 tablespoon fresh thyme

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

　　1 teaspoon sea salt

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　Place the butter, garlic, parsley, scallion, thyme, chives, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender and pulse until well combined and blended, stopping to scrape down the bowl several times as you go. Transfer the mixture to a piece of wax paper, roll it into a log 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, or for up to 1 week. Slice into thin rounds and use as needed.

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.