[Sca-cooks] Flavored Butter

Kingstaste kingstaste at comcast.net
Wed Apr 1 09:48:06 PDT 2009


Here is a citation regarding flavoring butters in period.  
It also gives a good description of clarifying butter.  
My particular favorite is rosewater and sugar, oh..my..god...
;)
Christianna

Hugh Plat _Jewel-house of Arte & Nature_ 1594

2. How to make sundry sorts of most dainty butter with the saide oils
[refers to earlier section on distilling essential oils]

 In the month of May, it is very usuall with us to eat some of the smallest,
and youngest sage leaves with butter in a morning, and I think the common
use thereof doth sufficiently commende the same to be wholsome, in stead
whereof all those which delighte in this heabe may cause a few droppes of
the oile of sage to be well wrought, or tempered with the butter when it is
new taken out of the cherne, until they find the same strong enough in taste
to their owne liking; and this way I accoumpt much more wholsomer then the
first, wherin you will finde a far more lively and penetrative tast then can
be presently had out of the greene herbe.
 This laste Sommer I did entertaine divers of my friends with this kinde of
butter amongst other country dishes, as also with cinnamon, mace, and clove
butter (which are all made in one selfe same manner) and I knew not whether
I did please them more with this new found dish, or offend them by denying
the secret unto them, who thought it very strange to find the naturall taste
of herbs, and spices coueied into butter without any apparent touch of
color.  But I hope I have at this time satisfied their longings.  2re, if by
som means or other you may not give a tincture to your creme before you
chearne it, either with roseleaves, cowslep leaves, violet or marigold
leaves, &c. And thereby chaunge the color of your butter.
 And it may be that if you wash your butter throughly wel with rose water
before you dish it, and work up some fine sugar in it, that the Country
people will go neere to robbe all Cocknies of their breakfasts, unlesse the
dairie be well looked unto.  If you would keepe butter sweete, and fresh a
long time to make sops, broth or cawdle, or to butter any kinde of fishe
withall in a better sorte then I have seene in the best houses where I have
come, then dissolve your butter in a clean galsed, or silver vessell & in a
pan, or kettle of water with a slow and gentle fire, and powre the same so
dissolved, into a bason that hath some faire Water therein, and when it is
cold, take away the soote, not suffering any of the curds, or whey to remain
in the bottome: and if you regarde not the charge thereof, you may either
the first or the second time, dissolve your Butter in Rosewater as before,
working them well together, and so Clarifie it, and this butter so
clarified, wil bee as sweet in tast, as the Marrow of any beast, by reason
of, the great impuritie that is remooved by this manner of handeling:
[rest snipped]






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