Garlic Butter Sauce

Garlic Butter Sauce is fabulous on pizza crust.

Garlic butter and bread, such a happy pairing. I've always enjoyed these two together, but here in Des Moines we have a pizza delivery place called Northern Lights Pizza. They have these amazing breadsticks served swimming in a salty peppery garlic butter sauce. Warm, puffy logs of soft pizza crust with just the right amount of butter, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mmm. I always eat too many. 
Since we've been trying to eat homemade food more lately, I finally tried making my own garlic butter sauce, and it's surprisingly easy to make an equally delicious sauce at home. 
We enjoy dipping our crust from Bubbly No Knead Pizza in this sauce, and it tastes pretty awesome spread on fresh hot homemade baby French Batards (need to post that recipe still).  
Any place you like a savory butter, this would work, in my opinion. So good.
What's nice about it, too, is that you can keep it in the refrigerator, and it firms up to a very soft butter consistency, so it's spreadable out of the fridge. At room temperature, it's mostly liquid, and good for dipping.
So here you go. Another simple and delicious way to enjoy butter and garlic together.

Garlic Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:
Place butter and olive oil in a small saucepan or saute pan over low heat. While butter melts, mince the garlic. Add garlic to melted butter & olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Cook on low for one minute and then turn off the heat and allow to sit until cool. 
Serve with pizza (crust) or hot bread.
Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Use within about 10 days.

Makes about 2/3 cup
 

The sauce becomes semi-solid upon refrigeration.