Patti Piatt of the Herbalist can make you a better cook, without any lessons. Just finish your dish using one of her herb-flavored butters and guests will rave. And you'll get the credit.

Ms. Piatt and her crew make 18 "compound butters,'' many flavored with fresh herbs grown at her home in Anderson Township. Some, like the raspberry-honey butter, are sweet and designed for smearing on toast or a muffin. The herb-flavored butters are just as delicious spread on bread or crackers, but most also make a fine finishing touch to cooked dishes - the horseradish-chive and garlic-herb butters complement beef, the ginger-lime and lemon-tarragon enhance fish and shellfish.

All of the compound butters cost $5 per 5.5 ounces. You can sample them at the Herbalist at Ridge Market in Pleasant Ridge (6142 Montgomery Road), 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. The Herbalist also offers fresh pasta, pasta sauce, pesto, and by the end of this week, fresh, ready-to-bake pizza. 366-4765.

Chuck Martin