SC - real cream

[weymouth at netaxs.com]

> Back in the dark ages when my children were babies, I knew a woman who
> owned two jersey cows.  She milked daily, pasteurized, and then sold the
> milk and cream.  I used to get two gallons of milk (with cream rising to
> the top) and a pint mayonaise jar of real cream every week.
> 
> Now this cream would not pour.  It was more the consistency of soft butter
> or modern sour cream.  You had to scoop it out of the jar with a big
> spoon.  You could whip it, and it didn't take a lot of whipping to 'puff'
> but would turn to butter in a trice.
> 
> If this is the kind of cream that period cooks were working with,
> then, yes, it would support an egg right off with no problem and no
> additives.  And also, why bother to whip it when it's already the
> consistency of creme anglaise or pastry filling?
> 
> elaina
 
Hi Elaina

Yes, in fact that would have been what period cooks would have used.  
 
Why whip it?  So that it becomes lighter than more solid consistency. 
Whipping simply forces air into the cream, making it lighter and more 
fluffy.  In modern day cooking imagine what would happen to a mousse 
if you put that consistency cream in unwhipped.  'Twould be a bit 
dense methinks!

A few years ago I stayed in London with friends and had the pleasure 
of shopping and cooking while there.  In the average British grocery 
store you can get 2 or 3 different grades of cream.  If I am 
remembering correctly they ranged from "single," which was all cream 
but like heavy cream currently found in the US.  "Triple,"  was what you 
described with a "double" being between the two.  I made a reduced 
cream sauce with triple and the stuff only had to see the flame on the stove to 
get thick.  Gotta love it!

I remember getting milk delivered from the dairy when I was little 
(please don't anyone beat me, yes I'm only 33!) and it came with the  
cream "collar."  Even our local dairies don't do anything like that 
any more. 

Hope that's a help...

Aemilia
 

 
> 
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