“If you're afraid of butter, use cream.” ― Julia Child
“With enough butter, anything is good.” Julia Child
Cultured vs non-cultured.
Clarified (Ghee)
http://www.acookblog.com/2012/04/its-like-butter-baby.html
Louise Emerick, America's Test Kitchen
Makes about 12 ounces butter and 1½ cups buttermilk
The flavor of pasteurized cream is preferable to ultra-pasteurized. Also, choose yogurt that contains live cultures. You can store the thickened, cultured cream up to 5 days in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the butter; let it sit at room temperature until it reaches about 60 degrees before proceeding with step 3. The reserved buttermilk is great for both cooking and drinking. The butter will keep for at least 1 month assuming you use reasonably fresh cream and you wash the butter well in step 5; the buttermilk will keep for about 6 weeks. Both the buttermilk and butter can be frozen as well. When thawed, the buttermilk will look separated; just give it a good shake.
Ingredients:
1 quart good-quality heavy cream (see note)
⅓ cup whole-milk plain yogurt (see note)
¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt (optional)Method:
Method:
To culture the cream: Combine cream and yogurt in large Mason jar, or similar glass container with tight-fitting lid, cover, and shake briefly to combine. Remove lid, cover jar with clean kitchen towel, and place in warm area, ideally around 75 degrees, and leave undisturbed until cultured and thickened, 18 to 24 hours. (Its texture should be similar to yogurt; if not, allow it to continue sitting, checking every 4 to 6 hours, until properly thickened.)
Once cream has thickened, remove kitchen towel, cover container with lid, and transfer to refrigerator to cool until mixture registers 60 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 2 hours.
To make the butter: Place 4 cups of ice water in refrigerator. Pour chilled cultured cream into work bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Cover opening between work bowl and mixer with plastic wrap to prevent splatter. Whip cream on high speed until it separates into buttermilk and clumps of small, yellow beads of butter, about 5 minutes. Strain butter through cheesecloth-lined fine mesh strainer set over large bowl, and let drain 1 minute.
Gather edges of cheesecloth and twist to squeeze butter, pushing down from top to bottom and letting buttermilk drip into bowl below until no more buttermilk is released. Transfer butter to large clean bowl; reserve buttermilk for another use.
Pour about ⅓ cup of ice water over butter and, with butter resting in water, fold butter against side of bowl, letting water wash over butter to rinse it of any remaining buttermilk. Discard milky liquid, and repeat washing process until water remains clear, about 6 washes. After final wash, discard any water in bowl, and smash and fold butter against side of bowl to squeeze out any remaining liquid; discard liquid. Sprinkle butter with salt, if using, and fold into butter until thoroughly incorporated.
Divide butter between two 12 by 15-inch pieces of parchment paper or waxed paper. Using your hands, form each portion into rough log shape. Fold top of paper over butter, then roll butter log back and forth until smooth and round and reaches desired length and thickness. (Alternatively, after folding paper over butter, use straight edge to push against top portion of paper to coax butter into tidy log of desired length and thickness.) Store butter, wrapped in paper, in refrigerator for about 1 month.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/06/taste-off-the-best-butter-and-the-flabby-slabs/
Vermont Creamery European Style Cultured Butter Lightly Salted
This elegant, cylinder-shaped butter is an impressive, complex, perfectly balanced marriage of flavors. The fresh cream is layered with delicate nutty, tangy notes that are accented with just a dash of salt. It has a whopping 86 percent fat. 12 g fat, 55 mg sodium. $6.99 for 8 ounces at Market Hall Foods and some Whole Foods stores. (4 stars)
Organic Valley Cultured Pasture Butter
When sour cream meets fresh, sweet cream butter, this is the result. This tangy, perfectly salted block of butter from Wisconsin is the one you want to top a baked potato, veggies or any other savory dish. It has 84 percent butterfat. 12 g fat, 35 mg sodium. $4.69 at Whole Foods. (4 stars)
Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter
This hunk of butter nails every flavor you could want. It’s nutty, rich and creamy, with a long finish. It’s one flaw is too much salt. 11 g fat, 100 mg sodium. $2.99 for 8 ounces at Trader Joe’s. (3½ stars)
Challenge European Style Butter with Sea Salt
Fresh cream flavor shines in this classic California butter. It has velvety butter flavor and just the right touch of salt. 11 g fat, 35 mg sodium. $2.99 for 8 ounces at Raley’s. (3½ stars)
Straus Family Creamery Organic Lightly Salted European Style Butter
Ultra-fresh and perfectly seasoned, this butter from Petaluma has understated, yet authentic flavor. It has 85 percent fat. 12 g fat, 45 mg sodium. $7.99 for a pound at Whole Foods. (3½ stars)
Plugra European Style
There’s a very nutty, grassy note in this widely available, high-quality butter from the Midwest. The unsalted version has a light sour note. 11 grams fat, 90 mg sodium. $3.99 for 8 ounces at Safeway. (3½ stars)
Vital Farms Alfresco Sea Salted Pasture Butter
When fresh, this butter from Texas sports a clean, decidedly sweet flavor. (Note: In general, parchment and paper packaging is not suitable for long-term storage.) It has 85 percent butterfat.11g fat, 90 mg sodium. $3.99 for 8 ounces at Sprouts Market. (2½ stars)
President Salted Butter
Bold buttery flavor that lingers makes this a powerful, if slightly fake-tasting bite. It’s also extremely salty. 11 g fat, 105 mg sodium. $3.99 for 7 ounces at Safeway. (2 stars)
Finlandia Imported Butter
Velvety smooth and creamy, this straightforward butter is a fair pick for those who prefer mild butter flavor. 11 g fat, 80 mg sodium. $3.99 for 7 ounces at Safeway. (2 stars)
Trader Jacques’ Cultured Salted Butter
This block of butter from Brittany, France, seems greasy and lacks freshness — no surprise, since the 2017 purchase carries a 2016 sell-by date. Worse, it’s basically a salt bomb. 11 g fat, 115 mg sodium. $2.59 for 8.8 ounces. (½ a star)
Fond O’ Foods German Buttter
This unfortunate brick of butter lacks any hint of butter flavor. 12 g fat, no sodium. $3.99 for 8.8 ounces at Whole Foods. (No stars)