Enjoy garlic butter three ways with the bite of fresh garlic, mellow roasted garlic, and the intense sweetness of black garlic in this delicious Dracula-inspired dish! Serve this trio of garlic butters on freshly baked easy artisan no knead bread and explore more gothic literary recipes with our Frankenstein feast.
At a Glance: Garlic Butter Three Ways
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Roasting Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: ~1 hour 45 minutes
- Servings: 3 cups
- Flavour: Zesty and sharp, garlicky and salty, mellow and sweet
- Skill Level: Easy
- Why this Works: Whether you prefer the sharp bite of raw garlic, the mellow nuttiness of roasted garlic, or the jammy sweetness of black garlic, you will find the perfect garlic butter to enjoy for a Dracula-inspired feast!
Dracula, the Feast
Bram Stoker's Dracula takes us on a gothic journey like no other. The dark and dangerous figure, Count Dracula, ominously lurks in shadowed castles and slips quietly into candlelit bedrooms, revealing the fears and terrors of the story's central characters. To honour this gothic masterpiece, we are following the story through food, starting with a fateful journey into the Carpathian Mountains, terrifying encounters at the misty sea cliffs of Whitby, the drawing rooms of Victorian London, and the final dangerous race back to Transylvania. Each recipe draws on the places and people at the heart of the novel, echoing the themes of light and darkness, innocence and seduction, superstition and science, life and death. We invite you to sink your teeth into these recipes one at a time, at a Halloween gathering, or at your next book club!
A Wreath of Garlic Flowers
Lucy's midnight wanderings to the Whitby clifftops leave her pale and weak with two strange marks on her neck. Back home in London, she is cared for by Dr. Seward and his mentor, Professor Van Helsing, but their blood transfusions fail to cure her. As the true nature of Lucy's illness reveals itself, Van Helsing fills her room with fragrant garlic flowers and warns that they must not be removed. Unaware of their importance, Lucy's mother takes them away and opens the window . . . Lucy soon dies, only to rise again as a vampire, and Van Helsing must turn to garlic once more to lay her to rest.
Explore the many flavours of this pungent delicious bulb with these three garlic butters. Fresh raw garlic, with its sharp, peppery bite, is blended with fresh parsley and chives into a strongly flavoured butter that's perfect for the purist. Roasting gives garlic a mellow, caramelized flavour, perfect for blending with paprika into a rich and savoury butter. Black garlic adds an intense jammy sweetness to this unique and delicious butter. Whether you pick just one or try all three, these garlic butters are the perfect condiment to enjoy with our Easy Artisan No Knead Bread alongside a Dracula-inspired feast!
If you're looking for more delicious garlic recipes then check out our roasted garlic soup with cheesy croutons or our garlic scape butter.
Ingredients for Garlic Butter Three Ways
Garlic: You will need plenty of fresh garlic for these recipes! For roasting, you will need to use whole heads of garlic.
Black garlic: Black garlic is garlic that has been slowly fermented at a warm temperature to cause the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is what happens when food 'browns' or caramelizes. As a result, the garlic turns dark brown or black in colour and has a soft, chewy texture and a sweet taste. The method for making black garlic originated in Asia and it can often be found in Asian markets or online.
Butter: I used salted butter in these recipes. If you use unsalted butter then you may want to add a bit more kosher salt when you make them.
Storage Tips
Storage container: To store the butter, you can either transfer it to a jar or shape it into a cylinder. To shape the butter into a cylinder, place a large piece of cling film on the counter. Scoop the butter onto the cling film and roll up to form a log. Twist each end to form an even cylinder.
Storage times: These butters will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
How to make the Garlic Butter Three Ways
1. Fresh Garlic and Herb Butter
Finely mince the garlic either by chopping very finely with a chef's knife, using a garlic press, and grating with a rasp. Wash and thoroughly dry the herbs before chopping very finely.
Add the softened butter to a food processor along with the minced garlic, chopped parsley and chives, kosher salt, and pepper. Blend until the butter is fully combined, scraping down the sides as needed. You may need to stop and scrape the sides a few times before the butter is fully blended. Transfer to a serving bowl or storage container.
2. Roasted Garlic and Paprika Butter
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the tops off each head of garlic so that each clove has been exposed. Place each head of garlic on a piece of foil and drizzle a little olive oil over the exposed cloves on top. Bring up the edges of the foil to wrap the garlic in a bundle so that the garlic will stand upright. Wrap each bundle in a second layer of foil to prevent any leakage during roasting. Roast upright in the oven for 1 hour or until the garlic is very soft.
Once the garlic is done it should be golden in colour and very soft. Remove the foil and let the garlic cool for a few minutes. It is easier to remove the garlic while still warm but it can be difficult straight out of the oven when it's very hot. Squeeze the garlic bulb from the bottom to squeeze out the softened garlic cloves. Transfer the roasted garlic to a small bowl.
Add the paprika to the warm roasted garlic and blend together. Allow to cool until room temperature. In a mixing bowl combine the softened butter, the cooled roasted garlic, kosher salt, and pepper. Blend together using a spatula until well combined. Transfer to a serving bowl or storage container.
3. Black Garlic Butter
Peel the black garlic and chop into small pieces. For this butter I find it easier to use butter that is not too warm or soft. Ideally, it should be halfway between cold and room temperature. The sticky black garlic will blend easier into slightly firmer butter.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, black garlic, and kosher salt. Blend until the black garlic is well mixed into the butter - there may be some black flecks left but the garlic should be almost completely broken down. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer the roasted garlic to a small bowl.
5. Serve the Garlic Butter Three Ways
Serve the garlic butters on their own or all three together with a slice of warm bread. Enjoy!
For more Dracula recipes, try our Robber Steak with Garlic and Paprika Cream or our Plum Brandy Cherry Sour.
More Gothic Literary Recipes
- Cranberry Mulled Pear Pavlova
- Pumpkin Praline Pancakes
- Crab Cakes with Lemon Caper Mayonnaise
- Raspberry Rose Cocktail
- Peach Crisp Filled Doughnuts
- The Headless Horseman Burnt Honey Old Fashioned
Garlic Butter Three Ways
Ingredients
Fresh Garlic and Herb Butter
- 8 - 9 garlic cloves about 1 whole bulb
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 cup butter softened
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Roasted Garlic and Paprika Butter
- 2 whole garlic bulbs
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 cup butter softened
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Black Garlic Butter
- 3 cloves black garlic
- 1 cup butter partially softened
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Fresh Garlic and Herb Butter
- Finely mince the garlic either by chopping very finely with a chef's knife, using a garlic press, or grating with a rasp. Wash and thoroughly dry the herbs before chopping very finely.
- Add the softened butter to a food processor along with the minced garlic, chopped parsley and chives, kosher salt, and pepper. Blend until the butter is fully combined, scraping down the sides as needed. You may need to stop and scrape the sides a few times before the butter is fully blended. Transfer to a serving bowl or storage container.
Roasted Garlic and Paprika Butter
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the tops off each head of garlic so that each clove has been exposed. Place each head of garlic on a piece of foil and drizzle a little olive oil over the exposed cloves on top. Bring up the edges of the foil to wrap the garlic in a bundle so that the garlic will stand upright. Wrap each bundle in a second layer of foil to prevent any leakage during roasting. Roast upright in the oven for 1 hour or until the garlic is very soft.
- Once the garlic is done the cloves should be golden in colour and very soft. Remove the foil and let the garlic cool for a few minutes. It is easier to remove the garlic while still warm, but it can be difficult straight out of the oven when it's very hot. Squeeze the garlic bulb from the bottom to squeeze out the softened garlic cloves. Transfer the roasted garlic to a small bowl.
- Add the paprika to the warm roasted garlic and blend together. Allow to cool until room temperature. In a mixing bowl combine the softened butter, the cooled roasted garlic, kosher salt, and pepper. Blend together using a spatula until well combined. Transfer to a serving bowl or storage container
Black Garlic Butter
- Peel the black garlic and chop into small pieces. For this butter I find it easier to use butter that is not too warm or soft. Ideally, it should be halfway between cold and room temperature. The sticky black garlic will blend easier into slightly firmer butter.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, black garlic, and kosher salt. Blend until the black garlic is well mixed into the butter - there may be some black flecks left but the garlic should be almost completely broken down. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer the roasted garlic to a small bowl.
