That’s right; I tell you that I can introduce to you a way of attaining Butter Bliss in less than ten minutes-How many people could vouch for that eh?
On hot toast, comfortingly creamy and lightly salty…or adding familiar sweetness to fluffy chapatti’s…maybe on soft pillowy bread to add glistening moistness… perhaps a melting knob on steaming vegetables, granting slippery smoothness or even in a jacket potato infiltrating the warm sweet clouds with juiciness…ah oh my, what if in a croissant, crisping up delectable layer upon layer, upon layer…
Butter. Delicious isn’t it? And what do we say about the alluring aroma…Proud cakes and steaming doughnuts all bleating towards us with their cosy smells and pretty colours; how can one not give in? I know some people who add a knob on khichdi (the traditional Indian Kedgeree of rice and lentils), or on their dhal to lift the aroma of the lentils and enhance the mild and homely flavours.
Now I’m not suggesting we all stop buying butter from supermarkets, or even that we encase our hearts with impenetrable and dense layers of it. But there is a glowing pleasure, a gratification, in creating simple ingredients yourself, to use as and when you will. You can make butter. Simple.
Home-made butter is creamier, has lightness about it. It is smoother and of course you can infuse it with flavours, spices and herbs as you like. There are no performances and no, you don’t need to be churning away at it for hours. In fact, I ‘made’ this butter whilst washing the dishes and singing to my Aloe Vera plant and spring bulbs (that are now displaying shoots).
Its humble, it’s delightful and you can dress it on a table for your dinner guests to devour between them. Mmm…Butter.
As always, let me know how you go…
My Recipe for Gently Spiced Home-Made Butter
This makes roughly 175g of butter
Ingredients
300ml of Double Cream
Salt to taste (I use ¼ tsp.)
¼ tsp. Aniseed powder, ¼ tsp. black pepper, ¼ tsp. cumin powder
Method
- Churn the double cream in a food processor with whisking contraptions or use an electronic hand whisk. If you are using an electronic hand whisk, then put the cream in a tall container to avoid spluttering.
- Whisk the cream until you see stiff white peaks, like whipping cream at this stage; give it another mix to scoop all the lovely cream back to the centre.
- Continue to whisk until you see ball/balls form in the bowl and the whey separates from the butter. Check the consistency and it will feel and look like butter to the touch.
- Remove onto a plate, and fork the butter to release more of the whey. Remove this. I suggest keeping it and using it to bind chapatti flour for instance.
- Mix in the salt, aniseed, cumin powder and black pepper into the butter and moderate to your taste, If you wish.
