Coming Across an Old Recipe for Clotted Cream in the Attic

It is strange how the same word can evoke different feelings depending on the context in which it is used. Lets take the example of the word “clotted.” If you hear this word in a hospital or doctors office you will feel anxious as will probably refer to the state of the blood being tested, and can lead to complications. However, the same word when used in the context of food can bring delight since in a recipe; clotted cream means that the result will be luxurious.

A few months ago, I was cleaning out the attic and found a pile of cookbooks which had been bought many years ago, when I first started to enjoy baking and cooking new things. After this I became too busy to do much more than the basic everyday cooking which kept the family going and all the new cookbooks were relegated to the attic to make space in the kitchen for other things. Coming across these books was like meeting an old friend who used to keep you company and who you miss but just cannot find the time to meet up with.

Amongst other things in these books, was a recipe for clotted cream which I actually remember looking at and thinking that I must try it at some point as it looked so easy. I decided to give it a whirl and see how I got on. The recipe itself was very simple and since the only ingredient required was a rich, thick cream, it was not long before I had a couple of batches made up and store in the fridge. The thing about clotted cream is that it is very rich and heavy and a little goes a long way. I do have to admit that the children loved it and this led to request for scones, biscuits and cakes to have with the clotted cream!

There are various recipes for clotted cream, but they all agree that the important thing to remember is that the cream should be of a good quality in order to obtain the best results. Although clotted cream is delicious to eat just as it is, it is also a good way to add a depth of flavour and richness to dishes such as mashed potatoes and gratins. It adds creaminess and a subtle taste to the dish and also goes well in any dish where you would normally use regular cream.

Originally made by farmers to reduce the amount of waste from their milk, clotted cream has become so deep-rooted in the culture of South West England that it is now a tourist attraction. It is an essential part of the English cream tea and is asked for at cafes and tea rooms throughout the country. No matter which recipe for clotted cream you decide to use at home, if made right the resulting clotted cream should taste wonderful and rich and you can store it for a few days in the fridge.

Asking for an Old Cornish Clotted Cream Recipe from a Local

While I was on holiday in Cornwall last year I became addicted to clotted cream and clotted cream ice cream. Clotted cream is one of the loveliest tastes in the world and I now know why the quintessential English cream tea is so popular that it is considered a tourist attraction. There was one clotted cream icecream recipe which was just heavenly and I just had to ask the lady at the serving counter about how it was made.

I was told that it was an old Cornish clotted cream recipe which was the base for the clotted cream ice cream, and to try and find it out, I would have to speak to the owners of the farm where we were having tea. Deciding to try and find out the recipe, I tried to make inroads with the farmer’s wife by promising that I would not share the recipe with anyone. In the end, even though I did not get the proper Cornish clotted cream recipe, I was given tips and advice on how to make clotted cream at home.

Once you have got the basics right, i.e. you have the perfect clotted cream, then you can use this to make different types of clotted cream ice cream. There are so many different flavours which you can try out, but the most popular ones tend to be the classics such as various types of berries and fruits. Adding fruit to ice cream not only gives you lots of different flavours, it cuts through the richness of the ice cream and makes it a little bit tangier and not as cloyingly sweet.

This is even more so when it comes to ice cream made fro clotted cream as opposed to normal cream. This is because clotted cream is richer and creamier than normal cream and you need something to cut through the creaminess. There are many fruits which are used, such as strawberries, raspberries, mango, blueberries, orange and even lemon curd, which although not a fruit, still has the same effect. Chocolate is also used but somehow this is the one place where chocolate is not the best selling flavour or a particular food type.

The good thing is that clotted cream is very easy to make at home and once you have mastered how to do it, you can use the stuff in other dishes apart from ice cream. If you feel that making clotted cream at home is not your cup of tea, then there are various companies which do sell mass produced clotted cream in the market.

If you decide to buy your clotted cream from a shop rather than making it at home, remember that you really should get the best one that you can afford. This is so that if you decide to make clotted cream ice cream at home, you will get a rich thick creamy taste which should not be too synthetic tasting, and then whatever fruit or flavour you wish to make.

Finding the Best Clotted Cream Recipe is Trial and Error

For someone who enjoys cooking and baking, it is a happy moment when you come across a new and interesting recipe which turns out well once you have experimented with it. This is why I was on the lookout for good clotted cream recipes. This was both to find recipes for clotted cream making and for the usage of clotted cream.

The making of clotted cream is very simple and easy to do at home. The versions you find in the shops and supermarkets are fine but sometimes can taste a bit chemical, or maybe that was just the one that I tried. To make at home all you need is some time and patience as well as the cream and a heat source, either oven or stove top. A simple recipe, clotted cream is spread on scones, and other similar products, often with a dollop of strawberry jam (the traditional flavour for this).

Making clotted cream on the stove

1. Pour heavy cream into a very heavy, very large, frying-pan, or saucepan. You need to ensure that you make a large surface area and use a paan which will conduct heat evenly and steadily.

2. Place pan on the stove, with the burner set to the lowest possible setting. Using a heat diffuser can be useful on a gas stove.

3. After about an hour, a thick layer will have formed on the surface of the cream. Scrape it off with a non-slotted spoon and transfer it to a bowl, keeping the top of the fat layer facing upwards. Repeat this step another three times until most of the cream has thickened and been scraped into the bowl.

Clotting will work better with an unpasteurized or pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized) cream. For the oven method, which is even easier, you just:

• Pour the cream into a heavy-bottomed oven-safe pot. The cream should come up the side of the pot to about two inches.
• Cover the pot and put it in the oven on 180 F.
• Leave the covered pot in the oven for at least 8 hours. When it is ready there will be a thick yellowish skin above the cream which is the clotted cream.
• Let the pot cool at room temperature, and then put it in the refrigerator for another 8 hours.
• Remove the clotted cream from the top of the pot.

The way that I found the perfect clotted cream recipe was by looking around and trying out different ones to see which one suited me the best. Whether you use the oven or the stove top method, the results are just as delicious and you will find that you soon become addicted to the stuff. Just be aware that clotted cream is often considered to be bad for the health due its high saturated fat content of approx. 65%, compared to single cream with a fat content of around 18%. Enjoy the clotted cream recipes but remember to keep the portions small and as a treat.