Anne Larsen in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia was excited when she realized she could make clotted cream in her Instant Pot* and we were excited to have her recipe. We are in the process of doing an interview with Anne, so, watch for that soon.
What is clotted cream?
According to Wikipedia, no one is quite sure where clotted cream came from originally, but, now, it is made primarily in the Devon and Cornwall counties of southwest England. It is used as a spread, like butter, but it has much less fat (64%) compared to butter (80%). It is made by heating cow’s milk and letting it cool until it forms clots. It is then traditionally spread on scones.
Clotted Cream
By Anne Larsen
Ever curious and following my success with cheese, I thought I’d try for my Holy Grail: clotted cream. Not a cheese, strictly speaking, as it isn’t fermented.
I’ve tried several different methods with mixed but always disappointing success. I am fortunate to be able to get real grassfed Jersey heavy cream that has not been ultra-pasteurized or wrecked with added ingredients. (It makes stunning cultured butter with your buttermilk starter.)
I put a pint of this ambrosia into a wide, flat stainless bowl that just fits into my Instant Pot.
I set the pot on “Slow Cook” and “Low,” a setting that stays at 180-190F.
I set the timer for 12 hours, and left the toggle on “Venting.”
After 12 hours, I had a thick, golden skin on the cream (a good sign). It was still runny because it was warm.
I carefully lifted the pan out and put it in the fridge for five hours. The cream set up firm.
I poked a hole on one side and drained away the skimmed milk (quite drinkable, if flat) and tested the product.
I had a full cup of real clotted cream! Like from Cornwall or Devon. WHOOP! In the picture below, you can see that I got almost exactly 8 oz. of milk and 8 oz. of clotted cream from the original pint.
The finished product has a soft crust that is a natural feature of the Real Stuff. If you fold that back, underneath you have a thick, smooth, cream with a distinctive almost-but-not-quite sweetness from having been cooked. It doesn’t taste like either butter or whipped cream, but is it’s own wondrous species.
I packed it into a glass jar and rationed it out all week. I shared it with others who Know The Real Thing and they agreed: this was it! It sets up quite firmly in the fridge, so it’s worth letting it come to room temp before serving with scones and jam.
You’ve gotta try this if you haven’t already. I am ridiculously delighted, even giddy. I can’t get the wind off the sea or the rugged Cornwall coast here in WV, but by golly I can get that transcendent flavor and most loving incarnation of butterfat ever.
Traditionally, the cream is gently folded into a container with the crust loosely mixed in so everyone gets a bit of it when they take a scoop to put on their scone. Remember, apply the clotted cream first, then strawberry jam on top. Even the Queen eats hers this way.
I had to share it with you, because y’all understand these triumphs of dairy.
Update: I made a quart’s worth of clotted cream yesterday to take to a tea today and it worked perfectly. Nice to know it can be done in larger quantities. Four determined Anglophiles in a scrum over the last smear in the bowl would be a sight. This way we are all spared that embarrassment. I hope.
*The Instant Pot is a combination slow cooker and pressure cooker. We recently posted an article about making yogurt with it – click here.
