Homemade Butter!

Making butter from the cream from our local dairy was so easy, I can't believe I haven't made it before. Here's all I did - first, I poured a half-gallon of cream into the KitchenAid bowl and turned it on medium-high. While I did some other chores, it whisked the butter around until it turned into whipped cream and then began to curdle (about 7 minutes). When the liquid -the buttermilk - separated from the solid, I turned the mixer off.

Next I drained the buttermilk into a separate container and rinsed the butter under cold water until the water ran clear. Them I kneaded it with my hands & a wooden spatula, squeezing out any extra moisture. And voila, butter! I put it back in the KitchenAid to whip it up with a bit of sea salt.

Then, I divided it and added honey to some and fresh sage to some . Finally, I pressed it into different molds (ahem, little pans from the girls' kitchen and a mini-muffin tin). Some I just wrapped in wax paper to store in the freezer.

I put the molds in the freezer to chill, and then turned them out onto a plate to wrap & prep for Mother's Day gifts for my mom and sister (hope they don't read my blog until after Mother's Day!). I'm using the buttermilk to make Buttermilk Banana Bread that will complete their gifts. Oh, and the mainstay of our Mother's Day brunch will be Rich Buttermilk Waffles.

I guess you could say I'm really "milking" my $4 local cream score! (So sorry for the bad, but irresistible, pun).