In the Venoge kitchen, butter is the first thing we make. Most of our recipes will require either the butter or the byproduct of making butter, the buttermilk.
When Venoge was an active homestead, milk from the cow would be placed in a wide shallow bowl. Shards of a milk bowl have been discovered at Venoge. Once cream rose to the top it could be carefully skimmed off and churned into butter.
Since we don’t have access to a cow, we buy a quart (32 oz.) of heavy cream and put it into our half gallon churn, made by Henderson’s Artifacts. If you are unable to find heavy cream, whipping cream can be substituted. The difference is that heavy cream contains 36% milk fat and whipping cream contains 30% milk fat. A pound of butter and several cups of buttermilk are made from a quart heavy cream.
When the cream is at the right temperature, about 60°F, it takes about 15 minutes to turn into butter.
Ingredients
- Quart (32 oz.) of heavy cream
- Salt to taste (optional)
- Herbs (optional)
Instructions – using a churn
Begin with heavy cream that is somewhat cooler than room temperature. If the cream is too cold it will take longer to churn. If the cream is too warm the butter will still form, but it will be very soft.
Pour cream into the churn, put on the lid and use the dasher to whip the cream.
Continue churning with the dasher until the consistency changes and the cream thickens. As you continue the cream will again change and it will slosh at the sides of the churn. At this stage the cream is turning into butter.
Keep churning until liquid, called buttermilk, separates from the newly made butter clumps. The buttermilk may be slightly opaque. Save off the buttermilk for drinking or use it in a recipe where milk is needed. The butter will be yellow to pale yellow depending on the source of the cream.
Use a strainer to separate the buttermilk from the butter or a butter paddle, as pictured below. Either will help hold back the butter clumps while you pour off the buttermilk.
Use the paddle again to squeeze excess buttermilk from the butter.
Squeeze excess buttermilk from the butter.
Rinse the butter with cool water. Rinse thoroughly using your hands or the butter paddle. This will help keep the butter fresh so it does not turn rancid. We use our butter immediately, but it can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for longer.
Add salt or herbs at this time. We prefer to keep our butter unsalted or ‘sweet’.
Fresh Butter
Ingredients
- Pint (16 oz) of heavy cream
- Salt to taste (optional)
- Herbs (optional)
Instructions – using a jar
If you don’t have a churn, try making butter using a jar. Approximately a cup of butter and a cup of buttermilk are made from a pint of heavy cream.
To begin, fill your jar half way with heavy cream that is about 60°F. As the butter is forming it will double in size. Screw on the lid.
Shake the jar. In two minutes or so the cream will begin doubling in size. Continue shaking as the cream turns to a thick whipped cream consistency. It may take another 8 minutes to get to this stage. As the cream begins to separate it will make a sloshing sound. Keep shaking the jar until the cream has completely separated into butter and buttermilk. This is the final stage and may take 1-2 minutes to reach.
Strain off the buttermilk. Squeeze out excess buttermilk from the butter using a paddle or spatula. Rinse the butter with cool water and squeeze butter again to excess liquid.
Add salt or herbs if you like. Chill and serve.
Hearth Cookery 