Asparagus and thyme turn butter into a savory condiment for steak.

AP / Larry Crowe

Compound butters are an easy and flavorful way to add panache to any meal.

It’s a term that’s just a fancy way of describing butters with flavorful ingredients added to them: pepper (ground black, minced fresh or both), sun-dried tomatoes, capers, maple syrup, fresh fruit, etc.

The joy of making compound butters is there really are no rules beyond avoiding wet or watery ingredients, which won’t blend well with butter (remember, fat and water don’t mix).

The first step in creating a compound butter is to decide what you want to do with it. For example, if it will be served with English muffins or pancakes, opt for sweet flavorings, such as diced apples, maple sugar or cinnamon.

For a classic topper for grilled steak, think savory. Lightly steamed and diced asparagus or hot peppers are wonderful in a pat of butter plopped on top of a searing hot steak.

Making compound butters is a snap. The easiest method is to simply use a fork to mash softened butter in a bowl with the flavorings (anything large needs to be finely diced).

For a creamier result, everything can be added to a food processor and pulsed until mostly smooth, or placed in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment.

Either way, the resulting mixed butter should be wrapped in plastic wrap or transferred to small serving bowls, then refrigerated until firm, about an hour or so.

You also could transfer the blended butter to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe it into attractive dollops on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, then refrigerate until firm.

One final note: Since the butter is playing more of a starring than supporting role, go for the good stuff. Look for cultured or imported butters. Unless you are using salty ingredients or plan to add salt, salted butters are best.

The flavor possibilities for compound butters are limitless, but here are some to get you going.