Cultured butter is made using creme fraiche, which is fresh cream fermented with cultures – in a similar way to yoghurt. It lends the butter a slight tang. You can use fresh cream just as well, but in that case the butter will have a more sweet, creamy flavour. Both are prepared the same way.
Garlic and Herb is one of our favourites to go on a toasted baguette. I’ve found the ingredient list on store-bought garlic butter spread filled with too many fake ingredients to bother. It’s also a simple pleasure under some jam. Since trying Cafe deParis butter at Rockpool a while back, we have both fallen in love with the salty, curried concoction of flavours that goes fantastically well with beef. Although I think Vanilla Bean Butter might seem a little ususual, it is perfect, however, for drizzling over grilled prawns, scampi and lobster.
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Cultured Butter: Three Ways
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 100 grams butter 1x
Description
Cultured butter is made using creme fraiche, which is fresh cream fermented with cultures – in a similar way to yoghurt. It lends the butter a slight tang. You can use fresh cream just as well, but in that case the butter will have a more sweet, creamy flavour. Both are prepared the same way. Our metod: While we used a stick blender’s whisk attachment to churn our butter in minutes, my Mum mentioned the more traditional method of… shaking cream in a jar until there was a distinct “sloshing and thudding” sound — the point at which the fat solids had separated from the whey. Yield: 200ml creme fraiche makes around 100g cultured butter. Storage: wrap butter in cling film or wax paper and store in the fridge in accordance with your cream’s use by date. Otherwise, you can freeze the log and cut chunks off as needed.
Ingredients
For Cultured Butter:
- 200ml creme fraiche
For Vanilla Bean Butter:
- seeds from 1 vanilla stalk or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder or vanilla bean paste
For Garlic and Herb Butter:
- 1 teaspoon freshly crushed garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh chives
- 4 basil leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian herb mix
For Cafe de Paris Butter
- 3 tsp light tasting olive oil
- 1/4 small brown onion, finely diced
- 10g Indian style curry powder
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 small handful parsley leaves
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 1/2 tsp baby capers, rinsed
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 small handful basil leaves
- 1 small handful thyme sprigs, leaves only
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
To make Cultured Butter:
- Place creme fraiche into a 2-cup capacity jug or bowl and whisk using an electric mixer or a stick blender with a whisk attachment for 2-3 minutes. As you’re processing, the cream will first resemble whipped cream in consistency. Continue whisking until you hear a “sloshing” sound and the fat solids begin to separate from the whey. Continue to work the butter for another minute.
- Transfer butter and whey into a cheesecloth-lined sieve placed over another bowl. Wrap into a ball and squeeze out the whey – you can use the whey to add to smoothies or use in baking. Add flavourings of choice and mix well.
- Wrap the butter tightly in a sheet of cling film or wax paper and store in the fridge or freezer.
To make Cafe de Paris Butter:
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and curry powder over low heat until soft and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Place cooled cooked onion and all remaining ingredients in a food processor or a chopping attachment of your sick blender and process until well combined and majority of the herbs have been blended into the butter. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Roll Cafe de Paris Butter into a 2 inch diameter log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Any unused butter can be frozen if it is not going to be used within a week or so.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: French-Inspired
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between using creme fraiche versus plain fresh cream?
Creme fraiche is fresh cream fermented with live cultures, so butter made from it has a slight tang similar to yoghurt. Using plain fresh cream produces a sweeter, more neutral-flavored butter. Both are prepared the same way and yield about 100g of butter from 200ml of cream.
How do I know when the butter has properly separated during churning?
Keep whisking with the electric mixer or stick blender past the whipped-cream stage until you hear a distinct “sloshing” sound. That sound means the fat solids have separated from the whey. Work the butter for one more minute after that before transferring it to a cheesecloth-lined sieve.
Can I make Cafe de Paris Butter ahead of time?
Yes. Roll the finished Cafe de Paris Butter into a 2-inch diameter log, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm. Any unused portion can go in the freezer if you will not use it within a week.
What can I do with the whey that drains out of the butter?
Do not pour it down the drain. It works in smoothies and anywhere you would use buttermilk: bread, pancakes, scones. The 200 ml of creme fraiche yields roughly 100 g of butter and a good amount of whey worth keeping.
Can I use kefir instead of buttermilk for making the cultured butter?
Hi Carlos, yes you can!
Here’s How to Make Kefir Cultured Butter
Culturing: Mix 1-2 cups of heavy cream with 1-2 tablespoons of plain milk kefir (or kefir starter powder) in a glass jar, covering it with a cloth to allow it to breathe. Let it sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours until it reaches a thick, yogurt-like consistency.
Chilling: Place the thickened cream in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight, which helps the churning process.
Churning: Pour the chilled cream into a stand mixer, food processor, or mason jar and blend. It will turn into whipped cream, then turn yellow and separate into solid butter and liquid buttermilk.
I am sold, this is awesome. Becoming a buttermaker immediately!
When do you add the garlic