You can learn to make clotted cream. Yes, seriously. And it’s not that hard!
For the past few weeks, I’ve been showcasing the many ways that you can make clotted cream at home and not have to buy the icky pre-packaged stuff at the grocery store.
(I’ve also got a post here on how to make homemade cottage cheese from leftover buttermilk.)
While the clotted cream at your local supermarket isn’t all that bad – though it’s really expensive – nothing beats this luxurious spread when it’s made fresh, especially if you’re using the best fresh, organic cream you can find.
It also goes amazingly well with my morning baked oatmeal with blueberries and coconut.
You’ll also notice that prefab clotted cream is often stored at room temperature, which means it’s filled with weird preservatives.
Why not avoid that completely with what amounts to five minutes of actual work?
So far I’ve covered:
- The oven method
- The double boiler method
- The stovetop method
- The cheater’s method
Today, we’re discussing the slow cooker method, which is probably the least labor intensive of all techniques.
Essentially, you put some cream in your slow cooker, turn it on, and walk away for eight hours.
Yes, that’s it.
The key to making clotted cream is maintaining a good surface-area to cream ratio.
In other words, you want to have as much of the heavy cream exposed to the air as possible, to maximize the amount of clotted cream you get in the end.
So, if you have a huge slow cooker, great! If you have a smaller slow cooker (like 3 quarts or less), you might consider halving the recipe for best results.
Make Clotted Cream (Slow Cooker Method)
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy cream NOT ultra-pasteurized
Instructions
- Pour heavy cream into the vessel of your slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, then set it to the lowest setting, usually called “warm” or “low.” Your goal is to have the cream cooking at 180°F (82°C).
- Let sit for 12 hours. Do not stir!
- After 12 hours has passed, gently remove the crock from the slow cooker, being very careful not to move the cream around and agitate the fragile top layer. Agitating will cause the cream to mix back into the milk liquids underneath, reducing the amount of clotted cream you end up with.
- Allow the cream to come to room temperature, and then slide the crock into your refrigerator to sit for 12 hours.
- Once the top layer is solid, use a slotted spoon to gently skim the thick layer of clotted cream from the surface, leaving the liquidy whey-type stuff behind. You can use the leftover liquid much like you can reuse whey, such as in bread, soup, rice.
- Gently stir the clotted cream to create an even, creamy texture. Store in the refrigerator for 5 days. Make sure you keep it in a tightly sealed container so that it doesn’t pick up strange flavors from your fridge – you don’t want your clotted cream tasting of garlic hummus or those green onions that have turned into a science experiment in your crisper. I use mason jars.
- For best flavor, bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.
