D.I.Y. Delicious: Recipes and Ideas for Simple Food From Scratch by Vanessa Barrington, Sara Remington Page B
Authors: Vanessa Barrington, Sara Remington
Tags: Food
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cultured. Culturing (simply a slight souring) gives the butter a rich, cheesy-in-a-good-way taste that is tangy and complex with layers of flavor. And it’s so easy to make. Culturing butter uses the same technique as crème fraîche, and then you simply chill and whip your crème fraîche. For very little effort, you’ll be rewarded with a superior product, for much less money than you’d spend at a specialty store. It’s also great fun to make flavored butters out of your own cultured butter. Add flaky sea salt and enjoy with bread and radishes; or add chopped anchovies and garlic to flavor grilled fish, roasted vegetables, or beans. Stirring in dried lavender makes a wonderful butter for biscuits and muffins. While the butter is still soft, simply work the flavorings in to your taste. Making small batches of butter is best because homemade butter doesn’t keep as long as store-bought, though it does freeze well. This recipe can be scaled up, but a larger batch will take longer to whip
.
TIME REQUIRED:
20 to 25minutes active (excluding crème fraîche preparation)
YIELD:
about 4 ounces
3 cups chilled Crème Fraîche
Salt and flavorings (optional; see headnote)
Pour the crème fraîche into a medium bowl and, using a handheld mixer on medium-low speed, begin whipping the crème fraîche as if you were making whipped cream. Stop every now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. As the crème fraîche thickens, increase the speed to medium-high. When it’s just past the stage of a stiff whipped cream, the crème fraîche will become yellow and separate into clumps. At this point, decrease the speed to medium-low or you run the risk of spraying buttermilk all over. After this point, the butter will quickly solidify and separate fully from the buttermilk. The whole process takes 8 to 10 minutes. When the butter seems to have given off all the buttermilk it is going to, pour off the buttermilk and save it. (It’s truly delicious,and it’s also great to use for biscuits or Aunt Mil’s Jam-Filled Sugar Cookies .) Push the butter against the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula to squeeze out as much of the buttermilk as possible.
Pour clean, cool water into the bowl and work it around and into the butter with a spatula. Pour off the water. Wash the butter two or three times until the water runs clear. This step is a must, as unwashed butter will spoil quickly.
Transfer the washed butter to a sheet of parchment and work it for a minute or so with the spatula to press out any additional water. Pat dry and then use the spatula to work in any salt and flavorings. Transfer to a clean dish, cover, and refrigerate for up to 5 days. You must keep your homemade butter refrigerated or frozen, as it is more perishable than store-bought.
Mascarpone Cheese
Mascarpone is a sweet, luscious dairy product that I fondly think of as a cross between whipped cream and butter. It’s the traditional creamy ingredient in tiramisu. You can create easy desserts with nothing but mascarpone and seasonal fresh fruit. One of my favorite combinations is mascarpone and dates drizzled with honey. You can blend mascarpone with maple syrup and cinnamon and serve over Pain Perdu for breakfast or dessert. It’s simple to make using one of two methods: Follow the recipe below using cream of tartar, or simply drain your own Crème Fraîche for a tangier version. Truthfully, I like the sweeter version a little better, but I love the idea of repurposing crème fraîche. You need about two days advance planning for the draining and setting-up process
.
TIME REQUIRED:
15 minutes active; 32 to 36 hours passive
YIELD:
about 2½ cups or about 1¼ pounds
3 cups heavy cream (not ultra-pasteurized; see Crème Fraîche )
1 cup half-and-half
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Pour the heavy cream and half-and-half into the top half of a double boiler. Over medium-low heat, slowly warm the mixture to 185 degrees F, stirring occasionally.
.
TIME REQUIRED:
20 to 25minutes active (excluding crème fraîche preparation)
YIELD:
about 4 ounces
3 cups chilled Crème Fraîche
Salt and flavorings (optional; see headnote)
Pour the crème fraîche into a medium bowl and, using a handheld mixer on medium-low speed, begin whipping the crème fraîche as if you were making whipped cream. Stop every now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. As the crème fraîche thickens, increase the speed to medium-high. When it’s just past the stage of a stiff whipped cream, the crème fraîche will become yellow and separate into clumps. At this point, decrease the speed to medium-low or you run the risk of spraying buttermilk all over. After this point, the butter will quickly solidify and separate fully from the buttermilk. The whole process takes 8 to 10 minutes. When the butter seems to have given off all the buttermilk it is going to, pour off the buttermilk and save it. (It’s truly delicious,and it’s also great to use for biscuits or Aunt Mil’s Jam-Filled Sugar Cookies .) Push the butter against the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula to squeeze out as much of the buttermilk as possible.
Pour clean, cool water into the bowl and work it around and into the butter with a spatula. Pour off the water. Wash the butter two or three times until the water runs clear. This step is a must, as unwashed butter will spoil quickly.
Transfer the washed butter to a sheet of parchment and work it for a minute or so with the spatula to press out any additional water. Pat dry and then use the spatula to work in any salt and flavorings. Transfer to a clean dish, cover, and refrigerate for up to 5 days. You must keep your homemade butter refrigerated or frozen, as it is more perishable than store-bought.
Mascarpone Cheese
Mascarpone is a sweet, luscious dairy product that I fondly think of as a cross between whipped cream and butter. It’s the traditional creamy ingredient in tiramisu. You can create easy desserts with nothing but mascarpone and seasonal fresh fruit. One of my favorite combinations is mascarpone and dates drizzled with honey. You can blend mascarpone with maple syrup and cinnamon and serve over Pain Perdu for breakfast or dessert. It’s simple to make using one of two methods: Follow the recipe below using cream of tartar, or simply drain your own Crème Fraîche for a tangier version. Truthfully, I like the sweeter version a little better, but I love the idea of repurposing crème fraîche. You need about two days advance planning for the draining and setting-up process
.
TIME REQUIRED:
15 minutes active; 32 to 36 hours passive
YIELD:
about 2½ cups or about 1¼ pounds
3 cups heavy cream (not ultra-pasteurized; see Crème Fraîche )
1 cup half-and-half
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Pour the heavy cream and half-and-half into the top half of a double boiler. Over medium-low heat, slowly warm the mixture to 185 degrees F, stirring occasionally.
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