Wow, it’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything! In Summer you’ll usually find me in the garden or participating in some other activity in the sunshine. So now that Autumn is with us, I have the opportunity to share with you some of the things I have been doing over the summer. Like having fun and experimenting with my food, and finding ways to make it as nutritious as possible for myself and my family.
I have been half-heartedly trying to get hold of local, fresh, and most importantly, raw (unpasteurised/unhomogenised) milk for what seems like forever (in reality about 8 years). We were able to get goat’s milk, but none of us were huge fans of the taste. Then I saw Matthew Evans’ TV show on SBS “The Gourmet Farmer” (I am a huge fan…read on..) and it really gave me a kick along to source out either a cow (impractical at this time), or a means of obtaining this white gold.
I’m not going to go into the reasons or debate why I have been searching this out for so long, and I’m not going to tell you to go do the same. But I do advise you to do your research on the subject and make up your own mind, as to whether you want to keep drinking that overly processed stuff they sell in the supermarket.
My inquiries finally led me to a little place which I now regularly frequent to obtain my fix of this precious commodity. I feel so fortunate to be able to see these very happy cows grazing on lush green grass about 40cm high, and to be able to give them a bit of a pat and a hello before making off with the good stuff!
And you should see what I’ve been doing with it. Yoghurt, baked custard (yum!), Labne (all recipes a la Matthew Evans’ fabulous book – the Gourmet Farmer – “Real Food Companion”) and…wait for it…I have been making my own cultured butter! (When I haven’t been rubbing shoulders with Matt on Flinder’s Island and living the good life – another Summer Story which I’ll save for later).
This process is so easy, fairly quick and very rewarding, not to mention tasty!
As I said, I cultured the butter, but this isn’t strictly necessary. I do it because I like the taste, it adds beneficial bacteria (probiotics) to the butter, and culturing helps to thicken the cream which makes it easier to turn into butter when using the very fresh thin cream from my happy new girl-friends.
To culture the cream, add 1 tb buttermilk to the cream, and let it sit out in a warm place for 8 – 24 hours. I have heard that adding yoghurt instead of buttermilk will have the same effect, as will kefir grains. If you are not going to culture the cream, you will still need to let it sit out on the bench for at least 4 hours. Cream turns to butter easier when it is between 14 – 16 deg c (58 – 62 deg F), so if after sitting in a fairly warm spot, it may need to go back to the fridge for a bit. *See note at end of post
Many recipes suggest using heavy or double cream, but I have successfully used this raw cream at a “pouring cream” (or “whipping cream”) consistency – but it does work best when thickened. A word of caution here though – if buying cream from the supermarket, make sure it is pure cream with no additives such as gelatin or thickeners. By the way, cultured cream is also known as “Creme fraiche”, so you could also use this.
Here is the process (click on the thumbnails for a larger picture):
1. Equipment required (sterilised or at least washed very well): Blender, 1 or 2 wooden spoons, cutting board, large bowl of iced water, spare bowl or 2, strainer (sieve), a small jug or cup. Any quantity of cream or creme fraiche, 2% quantity of organic sea salt (optional) and/or other optional seasonings (eg herbs),waxed paper or a ramekin for storing your finished product.
2. Pour cream into blender, make sure the lid is secured. IMPORTANT: IF YOU MAKE SURE YOUR CREAM IS BETWEEN 14 – 16 DEGREES C (BEARING IN MIND IT MAY WARM UP A LITTLE WHILE BEING WHIPPED IN THE BLENDER, SO CLOSER TO 14 DEG IS PREFERABLE) YOU SHOULD HAVE NO DIFFICULTY WHIPPING IT, WITH NO NEED TO CULTURE IT FIRST.
Blend until the cream thickens like whipped cream, and keep blending! After a few minutes (depending on the temperature of the cream) it will split into butter and buttermilk – you will know when this happens because you will hear a ‘sloshing’ sound. Leave the blender to sit for a minute, while the butter rises to the top.
3. Place a strainer over a bowl, ready to collect the buttermilk. Pour out the butter/buttermilk into the strainer. Keep the buttermilk for baking in place of milk, it is wonderful when combined with baking soda (bi-carb soda) to give an extra rise to baked goods (not that we eat many of those, hey?).
4. Gently press out more of the buttermilk with a wooden spoon.
5. Place the butter back into the blender and add about 1 – 2 cups of iced water (don’t skip the iced part, it’s crucial). The aim here is to remove as much of the buttermilk as possible to extend the storage time of the butter. If you leave buttermilk in there – it will spoil after a few days.
6. Give the butter and water a bit of a blitz, the buttermilk will be extracted into the water. Strain this into a second bowl to be discarded, or straight down the sink. My dog likes it though – that’s always an option…waste not want not… What’s left in the strainer is looking a lot like butter…because that’s what it is!
7. Not finished yet though – we’re determined to get rid of that last bit of buttermilk. Place the butter in a bowl of more iced water, and squeeze the butter with your hand. If the water still looks milky, chuck the water and repeat with fresh iced water. The water is iced, because you want the butter to stay really firm. When it’s done, place the butter on a board.
8. Use a dry wooden spoon to pat the butter, and squeeze out the last of the water. Sometimes I use some absorbent paper to blot the moisture (making sure not to leave any bits in the butter!). Then spread the butter out a bit, and add salt or seasonings if using. Quantity of salt should be no more than approx 2%. If you find you have added too much salt, simply drop the butter back into the iced water for a bit of a massage, and start again from there.
9. The finished products: Butter and Buttermilk!
Form the butter into a nice shape and wrap in waxed paper, or store in this “butter keeper” method. Fill a bowl or ramekin with the butter, up to the top. Place a small amount of fresh clean water (filtered or spring) into a slightly larger bowl. Upend the butter bowl and store in the water. Make sure the water is covering the butter. This creates an air-tight seal, and the butter can safely be stored in the pantry for lovely soft, spreadable butter whenever you need it. (And I need butter quite often!) Trust me, you haven’t tasted butter until you’ve tasted the gear you can make so easily for yourself!
I sourced lots of this information from the internet – I found the information from the blog at Food Renegade very useful.
I saw the butter keeper idea at www.butterbell.com and on you-tube video’s – and then made my own.
Also check out these you-tube video’s which I found helpful:
Jersey Girls
To get you started on investigating raw milk:
RealMilk.com
More About Raw Milk – by Sally Fallon
Do you know what’s ironic? The week after I made my first batch, with me feeling ever so clever, there was my yummy hero Jamie Oliver making butter on the telly (I have a bit of a “thing” for TV chefs) as part of a “30 minute meal”. Synchronicity. First Matthew, then Jamie…all I need now is for Simon from the Cook and the Chef to strut his stuff with some butter and I’d be a very happy camper.
*March 2012 – I no longer culture my butter. Life is a learning process, and what I have learned from “The Metabolic Blueprint” course by Josh and Jeanne Rubin from East West Healing and Performance, is that fermenting and culturing foods increases lactic acid. Lactic acid is inflammatory. Fermented and cultured foods are unnecessary in a healthy body – and if you’re not healthy, adding lactic acid is only going to hinder physiology at the cell level. Click here to find out more about The Metabolic Blueprint.
