SC - clotted cream and melted cheese

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Ian van Tets wrote:

> just wanted to talk about clotted cream.  The recipe that was given
> sounded rather more like what I know as whipped cream.

It evoked images of creme fraiche, to me, although the whipping would
then be sort of redundant. I _believe_, though, that it wasn't intended
so much as a recipe for clotted cream, but rather as a substitute that
is more easily prepared by those without access to dairy equipment, raw,
unhomogenized milk, etc. Not having made it by that recipe, I can't say
how good a substitute it is.

>  What I
> understood to be clotted cream is, I think, cream that is put into a
> flattish earthenware dish and left on the back of the stove at the
> very lowest heat possible (try an asbestos or other mat, if possible)
> for about 24 hours, by which time it will not have boiled, but
> thickened, at least the top layer, and have a crusting that looks
> rather like cradle cap.  You then put it on some stone to cool down
> and eat with just about anything, since it's not sweet.

That's about the size of it, although more of the recipes that I've seen
call for the cream to be lifted off the top of rich milk, rather than
cream. It may not especially matter, though, because either there is a
rich source of butterfat present, or there isn't, and if you end up with
some clotted cream, there probably isn't much difference in the long
run.

  One of the
> Elizabeth David recipes for saffron cake uses clotted cream instead
> of butter.  I'm not altogether sure of this recipe, never having made
> it.  Doubtless someone else will know better, perhaps Cynethrith?

I'm also not familiar with the recipe, but I have read that clotted
cream has a butterfat content of 55%, against 48% for regular heavy
cream, and something like 80% for butter. I assume that if the amounts
of other liquids used in the recipe were decreased in proportion,
clotted cream would make a perfectly good shortening in place of butter.

Adamantius
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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