Week #7 - Butter

Cooking, Serving It! Appleton Farms Butter 2 pints Appleton Farms Heavy Cream Salt (optional) Use whatever appliance you have, hand beater, immersion blender, or high speed blender.  Beat cream until it forms whipped cream; wipe down sides of bowl; continue beating (or blending) you’ll see the buttermilk separate from the cream.  It will look like curds.  Drain.  Under cool water, rinse the curd like mixture gently, forming a solid mixture of butter as it is rinsed. Place in a container and refrigerate.  Save buttermilk for making bread or pancakes! Ghee Ghee is clarified butter which has the milk solids removed which makes a perfect oil for sautéing. Place butter in pan over medium heat.  Simmer until it foams for a second time.  After second foam rises to top, you’ll see the milk fats brown a bit sinking to bottom.  Drain through a butter cloth.

Freezing  It!                       Storing butter in the freezer keeps your fresh, grass fed butter longer.  Store it in reusable sandwich sized containers.  I score the butter into stick sized so I can just break one of when needed and thaw.

Storing It! Fresh butter can be store on the counter for short periods of time. Air is the enemy causing rancidity.  I recommend a French butter bell which stores the butter in water upside down.  The water disburses the air away from the butter making a seal. In the heat of the summer, I do store in refrigerator for longer shelf life.