It's tea time!

Clotted cream is that thick and incredibly creamy spread, served at tea-time usually with scones or Cornish splits. This cream is a staple item in British Cuisine and while it’s more of a ‘sweet treat’ list item, it is also at times used instead of marmite in sandwiches too.

 

I am always asked for the recipe, and thought to share it here with you today, so you too can make this beautiful treat at home. That said, the reason why most people don’t make their own clotted cream is because it is time consuming. But it’s simple and uses only 1 ingredient, so shame that it should not be made at home! Anyhow, the time is mostly spent i the oven, then the fridge, so really not much work on your behalf! I have also inluded for you a cheat video, should you want to reduce the time considerably, but i do believe nothing beats the original.

 

The secret to a winning clotted cream is using the best quality heavy cream that the world knows! Really, it is just this ingredient!! so make sure it is worth it! Typically it should be unpasteurized cream, but if you are in the UAE you most likely don’t have access to such cream. So use the one that is not ultra-pasteurized. It must be heavy cream with fat content over 30% for the clotted cream to work and give you that luscious thick creamy texture.

 

Good to know:

Back in the day the best way to preserve milk was to make clotted cream or butter. It is essentially separating the fat from the milk. The skin that forms after the fat is separated from the milk is the milk fat really, the remaining liquid is essentially the “skimmed milk”.

(sustainable, no waste tip: This remaining liquid is great to use in baking as you do any milk, so don’t go wasting, the idea is always preserving).

 

 

Ingredients

Cook Time: 12 hrs

2 cups heavy cream

  • Preheat your oven to 170-180F.
  • Pour the cream into a glass baking dish. Make sure the cream is shallow in the dish and gets a lot of surface area. If the dish is small and the cream is deep, the recipe won’t work.
  • Place the cream in the oven, uncovered and leave to bake for 12 hours, uncovered. Make sure to take this time into account, so you either make it in the morning, or late night to stay in the oven overnight.
  • After heating for 12 hours, the cream will develop a skin. Carefully remove the dish from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. It is essential that the cream is thoroughly cooled before chilling.
  • Once cool, cover the dish with cling wrap and refrigerate until the next day.
  • After chilled, gently skim the thick layer of clotted cream from the surface, leaving the thinner liquid behind.
  • Gently stir the skimmed clotted cream to create a smooth texture. If your cream is too thick, stir a little bit of the thin liquid back into your cream, until it reaches your desired consistency.
  • Store the clotted cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

If your cream develops a dark colour on top, this means your oven temperature fluctuates and gets a bit too hot in between, which browns the top of the cream. The next time you make it adjust the temperature and bake at a lower temperature.

 

 

If you like this recipe you will also like to try

 

Vanilla Scones

DS Lemon & Lime Marmalade Sable

Basic Quiche

Mini Cinnamon Glazed Vanilla Tea Loaves

Victoria Sandwich Cake

 

While you are at it, you may also enjoy learning about Middle Eastern Tea Traditions on this link

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