SC - My first attempt at a period(ish) recipe. (Very Long!)

[WyteRayven at aol.com]

In a message dated Tue, 30 Jan 2001  1:31:53 PM Eastern Standard Time, margali <margali at 99main.com> writes:


>The almond butter sounds like you cook up a 'pudding' >or 'custard
>pudding' or sometimes also called a 'cooked custard' >which is cream and
>egg cooked over a double boiler and stirring >constantly to a consistency
>like Jell-O pudding. 

This is what I originally thought it would be, then in reading the notes from the author, she said that she called the recipe a butter, because the recipe referred to the cooked egg/cream as such, but that it was actually a recipe for curds and almonds.

I did notice that the mixture did thicken as a pudding does, and was smooth to that point, however it started to curd as soon as it started to bubble. Since the recipe said to boil it, I thought that my initial impression must be incorrect, and that it was supposed to be curds, as the author indicated. 

I have since seen a post that said the term "wame" (I think) meant boil, and the term boil actually meant simmer. This might have made a difference, but Im not sure, as the curds started to form as soon as the bubbles started. 

>Hanging it in a bag would be a good way to separate
>out the water component of the eggs and cream, leaving >essentially
>butterfat, an yolk solids. 

I strained this in a couple of layers of cheesecloth. If I removed the mixture from the heat prior to boiling and curdling, It wouldnt really strain, would it? I would think that it would just run through the cloth, or would I need to use fabric instead. How long should it be allowed to drain? When I drained it, it looked like what drained out was a very clear deep yellow fatty liquid, and an more solid looking pale yellowish liquid.

>margali

Thank you for your input! I am learning a lot. :)

Ilia