Tuesday, April 4, 2017

The Name's Cream...Clotted Cream

If you invented a cream preparation so incredibly delicious that you couldn’t bear the thought of anyone besides you, and the other dairy farmers in the area enjoying it, adding the word “clotted” to the name is a pretty sound strategy.

While the name doesn’t exactly make the mouth water, the flavor and texture are the stuff of legends. The long, slow cooking sort of toasts the cream, which imparts a sweet, nuttiness that I don’t think I’ve tasted in any other preparation.

Most modern ovens go down as low as 175-180 F., which is ideal for this technique. 200 F. will work, but maybe check after 10 hours, and see how things look. The other huge factor here is the cream. Be sure to get the best you can. It should be from grass-fed cows, and have a fat content of between 36-40%.

Avoid anything that says “Ultra-Pasteurized,” since it’s been heat-treated, and you’ll not get the same results. Other than this taking a day or two, the technique could not be easier, and I wasn’t exaggerating when I said it’s one of the most amazing things ever. I really do hope you give this a try soon.  Enjoy!


Ingredients:
4 cups heavy cream
8 x 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish
- Bake at 175-180 F. for 12 hours. Chill overnight before separating the “clots.” Use the reserved liquid for baking biscuits.

63 comments:

wolf said...

How long will this keep in the refrigerator? How do you suggest i store it?

Joy said...

This looks great, can't wait to try it! Just one question, what would be the shelf life on this? I know it would need to be refrigerated, but when I've bought it before, I haven't used it quick enough.

hogschmidt said...

Hey Chef John!

Can we use the left over heavy cream to make another batch or is it one of those taboo things? A big thank you by the way, my family 5 generations back is from Devonshire and I sadly had no idea this existed!

Thanks Again,
Nick
California

Unknown said...

Chef John, please make
Lemon lime lamb loins.

Unknown said...

Make
lemon lime lamb loins

Matt said...

Do I just use the liquid like it was milk in the biscuit/scone recipe?

Miss Pointless said...

Does the cream have to be non homogenized for this recipe to work? (I don't think that's even available around these parts).
Thanks!
I really enjoy your YT channel, that's pretty much what I've been watching in the evening for the last week or so! :)

Unknown said...

How long will this keep in the fridge?

Unknown said...

How long will this keep in the fridge?

Unknown said...

This looks awesome! How long will it keep in the fridge? I guess a more accurate question would be how quickly should I eat this?

That Guy said...

Hi, how long will this keep for? I imagine freezing it will completely ruin it, am I right? Thank you

j. said...

THANK YOU CHEF JOHN. I gorge on this each time I visit the UK.

How long would a batch keep in the fridge?

Unknown said...

How long will this last in the refrigerator? Thank you!!!

enfranchised, entranced, entrenched said...

i wish you had more examples of how to use this--both the liquid, and the 'crust'...

Dingles said...

Chef John, what's the shelf life of this clotted cream?

Unknown said...

Thanks for the recipe, Chef John. I used to have this cream with honey on persian barbari bread for breakfast as a child. So good!I am so gonna make it :)

Unknown said...

Clotted cream is so amazing I never thought it would be so easy to make.

How long will this last in the fridge?

Thanks Chef John!

Bethany said...

Thank you so much! This actually had been on my baking bucket list. Since I've not made this - yet, what flavor scone would you recommend with this? Can I mix jam with it rather than add it on top?

Cristian said...

Looks awesome and super easy, as I like it. Just one question, how exactly should we do biscuits with the liquid? ( using one of the recipes already on the blog maybe?)

Anonymous said...

Hi Chef John,

Your recipes are wonderful! I can't tell you how much I enjoy watching your videos and trying your recipes - thank you for all that you do.

This clotted cream is going on my must make list. Question is how long can I store the cream? And is it best stored in a air tight jar or can I plastic wrap an open container like you presented in the video?

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi Chef John,

Your recipes and videos are so wonderful I can't get enough of watching them and trying the recipes out. Thanks for all that you do.

Question - how long can this clotted cream keep and what's the best way to store it?

Thanks!

Unknown said...

How long does it keep for?

Sebastian Berg said...

This reminds me of "Ostkaka" we eat in Sweden, you should try it out! The southern swedes make it with almonds, we up north skip them and just use milk, flour, cream and rennet. I could translate the recepie if you want it. :)

Unknown said...

Hi
you may call the sauce from Worcester,Worcestershire sauce,
As this is a shire County.
But clotted cream from Devon is called, Devon cream.
Devon is not a shire county, Devonshire does not exist,

Unknown said...

Can I substitute the cream for coconut cream?

Unknown said...

Now I want to make icecream using clotted cream instead of regular cream. Is this possible or would it be too delicious?

Unknown said...

Hi John. It looks amazing and I cannot wait to make some. I have a question:
1)how long will it keep in the fridge?

Thanks for all the good recipes!

Unknown said...

How long will it last in the fridge (tightly covered, of course)?

Spencer Campbell said...

Do you think this could be made in a slow cooker? I'm wondering because I think slow cookers heat up to that range and because I don't have an oven right now.

Unknown said...

Chef John, I have been following you for many a blue moon. I am from Brunswick, Georgia (living in Savannah currently) and I would like you to give a little attention to making Brunswick Stew, which I think if you've had it before would agree that it is fantastic. Beyond fantastic. Fantasmagorical, even. You've helped me hone my cooking to a much higher quality and my friends and coworkers agree wholeheartedly. Please consider doing some research on Brunswick Stew - you seem to love sweet and spicy, plus pork and BBQ, and this stew has Of that combined into one amazing package. Give it a whirl!

Unknown said...

Wow chef, that looks amazing, my mouths watering. looking forward to the jam video now, but could you also post a scone/biscuit recipe too, pleeeeeeaaaase! :-)

Unknown said...

My grandmother was an Onondaga Indian and she used to make this all of the time when I was young. Delicious.

RobH said...

This really needs some red food coloring.

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John! How long would this last?

Chef John said...

For those asking, this will keep about a week or so. Enjoy!

Jenny said...

If I wanted to make half of this recipe, or 1/4 (say, in a large ramekin), how should I adjust the cooking time?

Unknown said...

Chef John: Your productions have changed our kitchen life quite a bit. Everything from chicken stock / soup to falafel / pita to kumquat marmalade have been terrific and helped us understand how to cook much better, making my wife and I much better cooks. Saturday afternoon is pretty much Chef John afternoon. Thank you!

Our young daughters chime, "Hellooo, Chef John here..." every time we replay your videos over, progressing through each dish. Sitting down to it they'll ask, "Is this the Chef John recipe?"

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John. What biscuit recipe do you use with the thin left over cream?

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John. What biscuit recipe do you use with the thin left over cream?

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John! I've always wanted to try this, but I've heard in the past that the cream must be unpasteurized for this to work. Was the cream you used unpasteurized? Thank you!

philogaia said...

CJ you couldn't show this but I'm just a commenter so I will say it. Strauss Dairy. Up in Port Townsend.Not only do the cows eat the grass they are supposed to but they have great ocean views as well. One of the great dairies that isn't a raw milk dairy.

And for those who asked about how long it will last the answer is a LOT longer than it needs to. It is pure fat which in the fridge lasts a long time. And it has been cooked and reduced. This is not a salad. We are talking months when properly stored.

Unknown said...

Hey Chef,
How about a recipe for pickled herring?

coojw said...

Chef John, can you give suggestions on where to find heavy cream for this? I can't find any above 36% butterfat.

LakeLady said...

I wanted to post a pic, but I get that.. well...you posted this on my birthday! Last year on that day I was sedated at UCSF in ICU while Dr's fought to keep me alive after two Open Heart Surgeries..repaired a birth defect.. 11 weeks later I arrived home to many struggles. But my husband and I resumed our ritual of watching chef John, laughing and planning what we would cook. Now, I haven't been able to cook 👨‍🍳, but Dave is able, just not experienced. I reminded him often, Dave, you can do this, remember, like Chef says,"this is YOU cooking". He has done great! Thanks chef John! Now, we made the clotted cream because Scones, Tea, Jam and Clotted Cream is the best thing ever! And I now have the BEST Clotted cream EVVAH! So, Happy Birthday to me! Thank you for all the wonderful food, and especially FUN! Best Regards.

CZealot said...

Dear Chef John,
Thank you for another interesting and wonderful recipe :)

I've had this feeling that something is missing from your videos lately... and after watching your old videos it struck me... - it is You :)
Video and Audio quality, presentation and attention to detail have been significantly improved over the years, but the voiceover style evolved from Chef John to a male version of Siri reading a text.
Chef John, please come back :)

Forward Our Motto said...

I used the leftover liquid cream (after refrigeration) to make the cream biscuit recipe and they turned out pretty good http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2013/11/cream-biscuits-best-biscuit-to-risk-it.html

enfranchised, entranced, entrenched said...

I seem to have forgotten to leave the oven off when I went to bed, and some twelve hours later noticed it was off. Is my cream no longer safe to cook (and eat) at 175?

Stephanie Massengale said...

Alright CJ, after three different grocery stores, I found a heavy cream that seeemed to fit the bill (Americans - just save yourselves the trouble and head straight to Whole Foods or equivalent). It's 11pm and the cream is put in the oven, and I've got 8 pounds of strawberries we just picked today from a local farm. Tomorrow will be jam day with your strawberry jam recipe. I'll update in two days! Thanks so much for such fun, inspirational recipes.

Unknown said...

That looks so much easier than the waterbath-on-stovetop method I've been using whenever clotted cravings came knocking on my door. It also reminded me of our last holidays in Cornwall when we had that stuff for breakfast, EVERY DAY. Thanks for sharing and I'll get this done next weekend :-)))

Unknown said...

Chef John: This is where an English AGA "cooker" excels. The ovens are always at a set temp -- the 'warming' oven is always at 200F. So, you just throw stuff in and leave it over night. Oatmeal, cream, brisket, chili, tomato sauce, etc. It changes how you cook in a very positive, effortless way.

ZS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jessica said...

We made this with the jam this weekend, and it is as delightful as advertised! Thank you again, Chef John! I am so much more confident in the kitchen after finding your blog (and my family thanks you!).

Gnominator said...

I have made this twice already. Lol. The first time, I tried ultra pasteurized cream because that's all I could find. It worked, but the yield was very low. So I drove 45 miles to the closest large town and found a natural food store with pasteurized cream. What a difference in yield! It came out exactly as yours. I have noticed, though, that after pouring off the liquid and putting it back in the fridge, it is very thick--like cheddar cheese ball thick. I think I either need to take it out and let it come to room temp or not pour off as much liquid. I mixed the liquid with my leftover whey from making yogurt and the used that to replace the milk and water in an English muffin toasting bread. It was awesome! I ate the clotted cream topped with homemade strawberry rhubarb margarita jam on the bread--absolutely delicious!

Pastor Greg Lawhorn said...

I tried making clotted cream, starting with heavy whipping cream, at 175°. It firmed up on top, but didn't brown, so obviously my oven needs to be on 200°. But it also came out on the thin side (I'm leaving it in for another hour or two at 200°). Is the thinness of the "clot" due to the temperature or the fat content of the heavy whipping cream?

Niki said...

Don't you guys know that if Chef John answered each and every comment, (which are usually questions), he'd never get anything done. He gave you the recipe and did all the work...you should figure the rest out by using common sense.

Thomas Venney said...

Thanks

Unknown said...

Can someone give me the name of a store where you would find non-UHT heavy/double cream? Nowhere in my town or in Birmingham seems to carry it. Possibly it is impossible to find in Alabama. Even Whole Paycheck, erm... Foods doesn't have anything resembling it. Thanks in advance.

Heidi said...

Fyi, someone has blatantly stolen your video and posted it on their YouTube channel without attribution. They play it backwards without sound, but it's clearly your work. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/5HPvtoQSLcw

Servants in His service said...

I used a 16oz bottle heavy whipping cream from trader Joe's. Left it in the oven for 8 hours at 200 degrees in a Pyrex pan. Had very little liquid left, the taste of this butter/cream is to die for. It is heavenly. Thank you John.

Unknown said...

QUESTION:
Dear Chef John: What do you do with the thinner cream that you pour off? Use it in a recipe that calls for cream? Or in a recipe that calls for milk?

Unknown said...

I wish if I could post photos. I just started my 2 days trip of making clotted cream nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnow

Unknown said...

Can this be accomplished in the sous vide or do you need the surface area to be exposed to the oven?

Unknown said...

Chef John's timing is quite right. Cooks overnight, pull it out in the morning, let cool and then refrigerate overnight. What happened during the day?

I put mine in the oven in the morning. Pull it out that evening and after letting it cool, refrigerate overnight.