Butter - Who needs a churn?

When I was a young girl, the neighbor in the next county over (she actually lived across the road.. since our road WAS the county line) used to bring us massive-sized jars of her fresh milk.  My Mother never had the heart to tell her we didn't need anymore milk.. we had a hard time drinking what she gave us as her Guernsey cows were great producers of ultra rich milk.  So, when she came knocking with one more jar, Mom would graciously thank her and would rifle around in her fridge to make room for one more jar.

My Grandmother was over one day and she saw all the jars of milk with thick cream floating at the top and said, "You should make some butter with all that cream.  That's too good to throw out!"  So.. Mom whipped out her Kitchen Aid mixer and began the process of butter making.  Her best butter was made several times a week and it was absolutely delicious on homemade rolls or her best dinner rolls.  My favorite was her Challah bread French Toast on a Sunday morning! 

This butter recipe gives two gifts - first you get fresh, creamery butter and second, you get about a cup and a half or more of fresh buttermilk.  Excellent in any recipe that calls for it.  Many butter recipes use only heavy cream, but for me.. the addition of sour cream creates a beautiful butter with a mellow and rich flavor that is hard to beat. 

So.. if you have a Kitchen Aid or other stand mixer with a wire whip... dust it off and give it a try.  You'll love the results.  All organic, completely fresh and perfectly seasoned in any way you like.  Buy organic heavy cream and sour cream.  Don't buy sour cream with added thickeners, make sure it's all natural.  The best place to find it is in a Natural Food store or in the organic section of a large grocery store.  I never have a problem finding organic cream or sour cream in my local store.

NOTE:  If you're lucky enough to get cream straight from the dairy, you can eliminate the sour cream.  The addition of sour cream is not really needed when you're starting out with thick, fresh cream.. it is used to enhance processed cream - even though it's totally organic.  It is used to improve the flavor from an otherwise flavorless base.  Just make sure you add more cream to make up for that cup of sour cream you don't have to use.

This recipe uses sea salt as the only flavor addition.  Try it with a touch of honey and cinnamon, or for a savory treat - fresh ground black pepper and your favorite herb combination. 

The Ingredients:  Natural Cream, Organic Sour Cream and a teaspoon of sea salt

This recipe makes approximately 1.5 cups of butter and takes about 15-20 minutes from start to finish.  This butter is not recommended for baking or cooking as it still has alot of water left in it which can throw off a baked recipe.  This butter is purely for your indulgence.  Smear it on a hot dinner roll or over your pancakes or French Toast in the morning.  Mmmmmm......

Kitchen Aid Fresh Butter

2.5 cups of heavy cream (organic)
1 cup of organic sour cream (make sure it doesn't have a thickener added to it.)
1 tsp of sea salt or kosher flake salt
1 medium sized bowl of ice cubes and water on standby

In your mixer, attach the whip.  Add cream and sour cream and on slow speed, mix together for about one minute until completely mixed.  I highly recommend that you get out a tea towel or a flour sack towel to drape loosely around your mixer.  When the butter solids begin to separate from the buttermilk - it makes a big splashy mess!  I use a flour sack towel to squeeze out my excess buttermilk, so this is what I use to also contain the splash of buttermilk.

This is the thick whipped cream stage.   Mmmm... looks so rich and good!

After several minutes, your cream will start transforming.  It will stay in a whipped cream state for quite awhile and then all of a sudden, it seperates from the water found in the cream.  You will know when your butter is ready to form.. it quickly seperates from the liquid!

Butter solids and buttermilk.  Save the buttermilk for Pancakes!

 
Using a spatula, gather up the butter solids into a ball and with your hands, form a large ball and place it on the flour sack towel or a double layer of cheesecloth.  Over the sink, twist the towel tightly around the ball to squeeze out even more water.  Now, dip the towel with the butter inside into the bowl of ice water.  Do this several times to rinse off the remaining liquid.

Gather the solids into a ball using a large spatula or just your hands

Wad the butter solids in a ball and use cheesecloth or a flour
sack towel to squeeze the last remnants of buttermilk out.

Transfer the butter to a bowl and add the salt or other seasonings.  Mix well with a fork, then use immediately.  Refrigerate the left over butter. 

Mmmm... fresh creamery butter.  Add your own flavors.. honey and cinnamon, chopped strawberries
or whatever you like.  A great base for compound butters.

Use the leftover buttermilk for recipes calling for buttermilk.  On a Sunday, try some buttermilk pancakes and fresh butter.  Store leftover buttermilk in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.