Conference turris::cooks

    I have heard that Idiwild (Idywild?  Idiwyld?  Whatever!) Farms
    has clotted cream.  Since I've been there exactly once, perhaps
    you ought to call before making a special trip.
    
    --L

  Idylwilde Farms is on Central St in Acton. To get there, take Rt 111
  to West Acton (located about halfway between Boxboro and rt 27) and
  turn north at the main intersection in the center of the town (this is
  Central St). Idylwilde is on the left about 1/2 mile up.

  Prepare to be a bit disappointed, though. First of all, the price is
  outrageous (can't remember exactly, but it was several dollars for a
  little container), and the quality isn't what you were getting in
  Devon or Cornwall (although you couldn't expect it to be as good).
  Still, it might satisfy an occasional craving, and it is good.

    you can "fake" Clotted Cream in the following way:

    put 2 pints of heavy cream on your counter the night before.. leave
    it 24 hours. 
    
    Whip one pint to butter (I usually just put it in a jar and shake
    it until the buttermilk separates)
    
    Strain off the butter milk and put the butter in a bowl.  Using
    a whisk very slowly beat in the other pint of cream.  Cover with
    a tea towel and let stand for a few hours.  Stir again briefly with
    a whisk and serve on Scones, Tea Cakes or Crumpets.  Not *exactly*
    the real thing but darn close!!
    
    gailann

It's a cultured milk product made in England, most notably in the
counties of Devon and Cornwall (sothwestern England). It's sweet (as
opposed to sour), has a consistency halfway between soft butter and
heavy cream, and, from my best guess, appears to be about 60%
butterfat. It's usually eaten with scones (and, if you're lucky, fresh
strawberries) at afternoon tea, the ceremony/meal being called a "cream
tea". Arteries clog measurably during consumption. Oh, and it's
absolutely delicious.

Would it be like a "thin" mascarpone?

-Jack

In consistency, yes, but not in flavor. Mascarpone has a distinct cheese
flavor (I believe the culture is penecillium, no?), whereas clotted
cream tastes like something halfway between butter and cream - maybe
closer to cream. It has no (or extremely little) sourness (like creme
fraiche) or cheese flavor (like mascarpone).

Actually, now that I think of it, the consistency and appearance are
almost identical to mayonnaise. The flavor, of course, is totally unrelated.

	And now for the $64,000 question...

		Where can you get some in Southern NH??

		(I will also consider NE Mass...)

	Brian (whose wife has cravings for scones and clotted cream....)

Idylwilde Farms in Acton (actually, W Acton) has had it occasionally. I
think it was made in Vermont (where some really good, exotic dairy
products are made). We tried it once, and it wasn't bad, but didn't
have much resemblance to a good Enlish clotted cream. This is not to
say that the Vermont producer doesn't make good products, just that
it's not "the real thing". And it cost a fortune for the *tiniest*
little quantity (I mean, you could use up the entire container on one scone).

    
    I have seen clotted cream (or perhaps Devonshire Cream, the same thing,
    I believe), packed in small jars, in English import stores.  There's
    one in Freeport, Maine and another on Rte 9 in the Framingham/Natick,
    Mass. area....sorry I can't remember the names.
    		
    I vaguely recall seeing a recipe for making clotted cream, and I think
    it involved some cooking (but I won't swear to that).  If we assume
    that it is simply very high butterfat cream that has been whipped, then
    you could try making it at home, using a variation on an old trick for
    making cream from milk and butter.

    Most commercial products labeled "heavy cream" have a butterfat content
    of about 36%. The fat content of Land O' Lakes sweet (unsalted) butter 
    is about 78%  So...to raise the butterfat content of 1 cup of heavy
    cream to the 60% level described in a previous note, you need to add
    10.6 oz of butter.
    
    Place the cream and softened butter in a saucepan and heat slowly	
    until the butter is fully melted.  Pour into a blender and give the	
    mixture three 10-second bursts.  Transfer to a bowl, cover, and	
    chill.  I assume the chilled mixture will be quite thick (not unlike a
    chilled ganache).  Carefully whip the mixture and see what you get!
    
                                                                       
    

Try A Taste of Britain on Main Street in Nashua.  You may want to call first
to make sure that they carry it.  Their number is 598-4654.

I agree that clotted cream is delicious. Well emulsified high-oil content mayo
is probably the best comparison for the appearance and texture. Clotted cream
has an incredible shine to it. The only thing I don't like is the lacy, waxy
yellow skin you get on it, from the froth when the cream is boiled up.

I don't have the authentic recipe to hand, but will find it if I can. I do know
that it in Devon and Cornwall, it's made using a similar method to creme fraiche
(heavy cream heated to boiling and simmered), but with Devon or Cornish cream
and possibly simmering at a higher temperature. 

I don't think it's fermented like creme fraiche: the texture comes from curdling
the fat during cooking. So you don't need a starter culture or a particular
temperature for the process to work. But you do need the world's best cream,
from virtually Tory-free Cornwall (and Seb Coe will soon be on the run).

Helen

re: .8, Mike

Must be the Mascarpone I've had isn't authentic or something (Auricchio
brand). It hasn't any "cheesy" or "sour" taste at all, but tastes like
fresh cream. As a matter of fact, I characterized it as being identical
to the heavy cream which separates from un-homogenized fresh milk, which,
I expect, is pretty close to clotted cream.

-Jack

Re: -1. Heavy cream, mascarpone and clotted cream may look the same but they are
three (subtly) different things:

	Heavy cream is the fat part of milk, separated out through inertia or 	
	gravity.

	Mascarpone is fermented, and ought to taste a bit cheesy, though an 	
	industrial culture or a very mild one might not result in very much 	
	cheesiness, only in texture. I'm not sure, but I would guess that the 	
	bulk and texture of mascarpone comes from chemical changes to the 	
	protien as well as from its fat content, which is usually a bit lower 	
	than that of heavy cream.

	Clotted cream is heavy cream that is cooked to "clot" (solidify, as in 	
	blood) the fat in it. I don't think it's fermented: the cooking sets the
		fat in a way that preserves it as well as making it extra good
with 			scones and blackberry jam...

Helen