Elevate Your Basket Of Rolls At Christmas Dinner With Butter Balls
They say it's the little things in life that matter most. And when it comes to hosting your holiday dinner party, don't skip out on those tiny touches that can make a big difference. If you've worked hard to prepare delicious, fluffy dinner rolls to satisfy your guests' carb cravings, then you can't forget to serve them with butter. But rather than dropping a couple sticks of butter throughout the dinner table, you can make the whole setup prettier with very little effort: swap a traditional stick of butter with butter balls.
Single-serving butter balls will add an elegant touch to your Christmas dinner table — not to mention they're more practical than guests having to cut their own butter from the stick. Simply take a melon baller and use it to scoop small butter balls, which you can then display in a decorative bowl for guests to take as they please.
Jazz up your Christmas dinner rolls with butter balls
Nothing complements a fresh-from-the-oven dinner roll like a little butter, and a little sphere of butter makes things more fun and easier for your guests. Run your melon baller in hot water before scooping the butter, then immediately place the butter balls in ice water to help them hold their shape. After about 10 minutes, remove them from the water, and pop them in the refrigerator to ensure they remain spherical until dinnertime.
When it's time to eat, place the butter balls in decorative bowls on the table next to the dinner rolls. Add a serving spoon, and let guests take their own. While you normally want to serve softened butter for spreading, you'll still want to keep the balls cold until they're ready to serve to make sure they don't stick together. (Plus, if your dinner rolls are hot, the butter will melt with ease.) Assume that each dinner roll will require one butter ball, but some guests might want two, so be sure to scoop out a few extra.
Take your butter balls one step further
Salted butter is typically best for serving with dinner rolls, but you don't have to stop there. You can also make your own homemade flavored butter to shape into balls. Let the butter soften, then add any herbs and flavor enhancers you want — fresh parsley, grated Parmesan, and roasted garlic are just a few options that will easily integrate into the butter. Combine everything, then refrigerate the butter to let it fully harden before turning it into spheres.
If you have any leftover butter balls at the end of the meal, don't get rid of them. They're a perfect way to add butter to any leftovers because they're already pre-portioned. And yes, you can freeze butter. If you have no room in the fridge, place the butter balls in an airtight bag or container, and they'll stay fresh in the freezer for up to four months.