This was one of the recipes I rejected for Cheryl‘s book signing. Not because it sounded bad or is complicated to make – but she probably would have thought I was an overzealous weirdo for making so much food.

I finally got to make it, though – Emma and Scott were over for a Friday night whiskey sampling and cocktails. It was post-dinner, but drinking and noshing go hand-in-hand.

The watercress butter is ultra-simple to make – butter, watercress, garlic, a bit of honey and lemon zest go into a food processor. Give it a whir, and it’s done. The butter can be spread on crackers and topped with additional lemon juice and watercress leaves, as the recipe instructs. Or, just add the lemon juice to the spread like I did and serve it in a small bowl with crackers on the side, and let your guests serve themselves.

As I was tasting the spread for seasoning, I thought how well this method would work with other tender herbs or greens. Chives would be nice, or arugula. Using watercress results in a buttery, vegetal spread that works really well on a cracker.

Find the recipe posted on Idaho Mountain Express.

• Watercress Butter (Ripe, p. 226)