It isn’t a proper afternoon tea without clotted cream and I discovered that it is quite easy to make; it just requires a long cook time. I had great success with my first batch cooked in the oven for 8 hours, but there is a faster way. For this second batch, I used the “quick” method, which is just 1 hour on the stovetop. You still need to chill the cream in the fridge to let it thicken, but overall, this method does speed things up a bit.
I came upon this recipe from Chef Darina Allen of Ballymaloe Cooking School in Ireland. I had the pleasure of meeting her and watching her make scones, so naturally, a lesson in clotted cream is a fitting next step. In her book, Forgotten Skills of Cooking, she shares a recipe with a traditional and a cheat method.
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Note: Double cream in Europe has 48% butterfat. Here in the U.S., heavy cream, with a minimum 36% butterfat, is the typical substitute. Though if you find a brand that has more, that’s even better. You’ll have less leftover liquid and more of the top cream layer.
Clotted Cream
You can use gently pasteurized cream, but homogenized cream or cream that has been ultra-pasteurized will not work for this recipe.
Ingredient:
1.2 litres (2 pints) double cream or heavy cream
Directions:
Pour the cream into a heavy sauce pan and heat gently on the lowest heat for 5-6 hours, by which time it will have a rich, deep-yellow wrinkled crust (use a diffuser mat if necessary). The cream must not boil or simmer.
Leave the cream to cool overnight, but preferably not in a fridge (I leave it in a cold pantry).
Next day, lift off the crust, or “clout” as my Cornish son-in-law calls it. Spoon the cream into sterilized glass jars, cover and store in the fridge. The clotted cream is on top and thick cream leftover when the clotted cream is removed can be used as double cream and it keeps for ages – several weeks at least.
If your cooker doesn’t go low enough, then put the cream into an earthenware bowl, set it in a bain marie and proceed as above.
“Quick” Clotted Cream (Cheat’s Method)
Put the cream into a double-boiler, or put a heavy bowl (with the cream in it) into a saucepan of hot water. Heat until the temperature of the cream reaches 75-82°C (170-180°F). It mustn’t go above 88°C (190°F) or boil.
Hold the cream at the same temperature for 45 minutes to an hour. After an hour, fill a bowl with iced water and transfer the saucepan into the bowl to cool quickly.
Leave overnight, fill into jars, cover and refrigerate as above.
Makes about 300 ml (1/2 pint) clotted cream.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Forgotten Skills of Cooking: The Time-Honored Ways Are the Best by Darina Allen, (Kyle Books, 2022).