September 1, 2011

Like Buttah!

The other week, when the Chefs came for supper, I made grilled peaches with whipped cream and a balsamic reduction drizzled over them. I had gotten a pint of organic heavy cream to make the whipped cream, and when I went to whip it with my immersion blender, and Chef John said that would turn it into butter, so he whipped it by hand.
Fast forward a week, and I still had the pint of heavy cream, minus a couple of tablespoons. So I thought about what Chef had said and decided to try my hand at making butter!buttah 001 I read through a lot of sets of instructions and concluded that I could probably do this all by myself. I started blending the heavy cream and it got all bubbly looking, but then it started to “break” and the butter solids began to separate from the buttermilk or whey. 
 



             





The instructions said to try and get all of the liquid out by pouring it off and then sort of rinsing the butter with ice water until the liquid ran clear. Then I put it into a piece of muslin to press any of the remaining liquid out of the butter.
 
 


I added a little bit of sea salt, kneaded it for a minute or two (I didn’t want it to start melting) and then put it into one of my gorgeous little lidded bowls.buttah 015 Tomorrow, I am going to go get some really good bread and try it out.  All in all, it took about 20 minutes from start to finish.
Gawd, this is scary… it’s like aliens have taken me over since I moved out of downtown and into the “country”.
P.S. I went out and bought a mini-baguette this morning, so I could have a French-style breakfast… It was perfect!

18 comments:

  1. What fun! Thank you for sharing, & keep us posted.

    I suppose though it might be good that your new yard isn't big enough for your own cow :)

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  2. so ... tell us about that wonderful lidded bowl you put the butter in? It's beautiful!

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  3. hi karen... it's a lidded soup bowl in royal copenhagen's white half lace pattern. it's just the most gorgeous piece, isn't it? it makes eating anything from it so elegant.

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  4. My mouth just watered. Freshly made butter is so yummy. I've got an easy recipe for French bread if you like.

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  5. I'll be right over when the bread arrives! Nothing like good...butter.

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  6. Have you tried your hand at cheese making? I know someone who keeps a couple goats in their back yard. Apparently there's nothing like your own homemade chevre. Just a caution, real butter is very addictive. It never goes away...I wake up each day and say "today I will not slather 1/4 pound of butter on two pieces of toast." Mostly it works but I've fallen off the wagon more times than I can count. There's no official 12 step program and support groups are few and far between.

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  7. Look at you - buying a farmhouse and now making your own butter ;-) I bet it was delicious!!

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  8. My maternal grandmother used to make her own butter with a little wooden hand-churn. But by the time I came along in the 50s, it was store-bought. There were still a couple of milk cows however on the farm.

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  9. Yes, Please just a little more bread + Butter. Grand Post. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  10. Wow Meg, didn't know that's how that worked either, must try as I have one of those blenders too.

    Thanks for stopping by today. Yep, she's in Roath, just off City Road "Kebabsville"! City Road, centre of the known Universe!
    Di
    X

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  11. I used to watch my grandmother make butter in an old-fashioned wooden churn (they still sell them-I just checked.)

    You've inspired me. I think I'll try it.

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  12. This is so cool! I am going to try this soon, amd perhaps add some other flavors to it. I follow your blog religiously and enjoy your post but for some reason this one is one of my favorites! Perhaps because it is so simple and so cool.

    Do tell, what sort of delicious crusty bread did you put this on? I think this would be delicious on the no knead bread from the NY times that was making its way in blogland last year.

    Enjoy your weekend.

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  13. Elizabeth... i just got some good french bread from the posh grocery store near me!

    i doubt i will be making bread though!

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  14. I would pay you to air-lift it to me on the West Coast! I needed a bib to not drool all over my laptop. Very expensive to replace!

    Yikes!!!
    who says this is simple???? Jeez!

    I say you are AMAZING!!!!

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  15. Hi Meg, The home made butter looks sooooooo good. Now, how about some home made preserve for the butter. Just a thought. Thanks. Mary

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  16. That looks delicious. Thanks for sharing! Virtual, vicarious carbs... when you aren't going to eat it, watch someone else! 8-)

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  17. Mom and I would always use a hand mixer to whip our whipping cream. She always cautioned me not to overdo it or I'd end up with butter. I never had the patience to go a full 20 minutes, so there was no worry of that!

    I'll have to try that sometime.

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  18. I eat so much butter. A block in a week! That's why I can't make it bc then it would be two blocks...

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