Sour cream

“ It is not necessary that the cream be ripened, in order to have the fat acquire a flavor, for if sweet cream is churned with a considerable proportion of sour milk, the butter will have much the same flavor, both as to intensity and kind, as though the cream had been allowed to sour naturally. ”

“ When the cream is being collected for butter making, it must not be kept so long that it becomes very sour, or in winter until it becomes bitter. Have a stone jar in which the cream can be kept. In summer keep it in the coldest place you have, but in winter it must be kept where it will become slightly sour, without becoming bitter. Old butter-makers advise skimming the cream as free as possible from milk. Every time a batch of cream is added to that in the jar, stir the contents of the jar, in order to mix thoroughly the new and old cream. ”

“ Beat the egg till very light and beat the sugar into it, working vigorously for three minutes; then add the molasses, spice, and salt, and beat for two minutes longer. Dissolve the soda in the cold water, and stir into the sour cream. Add this and the flour to the other ingredients, and beat vigorously for half a minute. Pour into a well buttered shallow pan and bake in a moderately hot oven for twenty-five minutes.
If you cannot get sour cream, use sour milk and two tablespoonfuls of melted butter. ”

“ Beat three eggs very light with a heaping cup of sugar, add two cups sifted flour, mix smooth, then put in half a cup of rich sour cream with half-teaspoon soda dissolved in it. Mix, put instantly into shallow pans, bake in a quick oven and serve hot with or without sauce. ”

“ There are two main applications in this class—to separate cream from milk and fusel oil from alcoholic liquors. When a liquid is to be separated from a liquid, the receptacle must be imperforate. The components of different specific gravity become arranged in distinct concentric cylindrical strata in the basket, and must be conducted away separately. In creamers the particles of cream must not be broken or subjected to any concussion, as partial churning is caused and the cream will, in consequence, sour more rapidly. ”

“ This warming is done by setting the can in a vessel of hot water. Frequent stirring is necessary during the ripening period. Cream properly ripened has a velvety and glossy appearance, with a mild but pleasant sour taste. When hand skimming is not practised the churning will have to be done more frequently to prevent the milk from becoming too sour and giving the butter a bad flavor. ”

“ Next, all the utensils—pails, strainers, pans, skimmers, churn, butter-bowl, and ladles—must be kept as sweet and clean as scalding water and a hot sun can make them. The cream, even in the coldest weather, must not be allowed to remain on the milk over thirty-six hours, and in warm weather even less. In hot days remove the cream as soon as the milk begins to sour: none will rise after the milk changes. Although it will, of course, become thicker by souring, it does not follow that it will be any better ”

“ There is still another method of adding bacteria to cream to insure a more advantageous ripening, which is frequently used, and, being simpler, is in many cases a decided advantage. This method is by the use of what is called a natural starter. A natural starter consists simply of a lot of cream which has been taken from the most favourable source possible—that is, from the cleanest and best dairy, or from the herd producing the best quality of cream—and allowing this cream to stand in a warm place for a couple of days until it becomes sour. ”

“ When the recipe calls for sweet milk or cream, and you do not have it, you may use in place of it sour milk or cream, and, in that case, baking powder or cream of tartar must not be used, but baking-soda, using a level teaspoonful to a quart of sour milk; the milk is always best when just turned, so that it is solid, and not sour enough to whey or to be watery. ”

“ For children it should be flavored with fruit juice or vanilla rather than with cocoa.
3. Uses of sour milk.
Do not throw away any sour milk that is clean and not stale. Milk that has soured enough to set, is a delicious dessert, with cream and sugar. The acid is very pleasant, being the same as that of buttermilk. Sour milk is better for griddlecakes and muffins than sweet milk. (See Chapter XI.) Another excellent use for sour milk is to make it into cottage cheese. (See below.)
154
Matzoon and other similar preparations are essentially soured milks, prepared under controlled conditions. ”

“ Boil a quart or three pints of cream, according to the quantity of [123] pith, with such spices as suit your taste: beat a quarter of a pound of almonds and put to the cream. When it is cold, rub it through a hair sieve; then put the pith to it, with the yolks of eight or nine eggs, some sack, and the marrow of four bones shred small; some sweetmeats if you like, and sugar to your taste: if marrow cannot be procured suet will do. The best spices to put into the cream are nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon ”

“ Take care that all the finest fruits are used to form the outer rows. When the mould is almost full, with a layer or two of each kind of fruit, fill it up with jelly and set on ice.
Creams are a favorite sweet in Europe, and eaten ice cold are delicious. Too often they are confounded here with blanc-mange, which may mean anything from corn-starch and milk to gelatine and cream, but seldom is improved by the confectioner’s art into a really handsome and dainty dish.
[224] Ginger Cream.—Make a custard of a gill of milk, an ounce of powdered sugar, and the beaten yolks of three eggs. ”

“ One gallon of cream, two pounds rolled loaf-sugar, one tea-spoonful of oil of lemon. If for vanilla cream; use a table-spoonful of tincture of vanilla, two eggs beaten; mix well and freeze in the usual way. The seasoning should be well mixed with the sugar, before it is added to the cream; by this means, it will be all flavored alike. This has been much admired.
Coloring for ice cream, may be made in this way: take of powdered cochineal, cream of tartar and powdered alum, each two drachms; of salts of tartar, ten grains; pour upon the powders half a pint of boiling water ”

“ The careful housekeeper of modern times has been accustomed to class creams among the luxuries which can only be given on special occasions, both because they take so much time and trouble to make, and because the materials are expensive. It is, nevertheless, possible to have excellent creams made on a simple plan and at a moderate cost. Cream of a superior kind is now everywhere to be had in jars, condensed milk answers well, and by the use of Nelson's Gelatine, and any flavouring or syrup, excellent creams can be made. ”

“ In two hours you can turn the ice out of the freezer in a round column or loaf that will be quite as sightly as the oblong square one frequently gets from the caterer. Many people think that simply freezing the pure cream produces the loose, frothy cream found at inferior confectioners’, but this is not the case; pure cream frozen results in a firm smooth mass which cuts like butter.
I have given the formula for raspberry and strawberry cream only, but any fruit juice may be substituted, varying the quantity of sugar as required. ”

“ During this time the juice of the fruit will combine with the sugar to form a flavored syrup, and enough sugar will infuse into the fruit pieces to help prevent it from freezing solid during the hardening process. After aging, save aside whatever portion of the fruit you wish to add later as whole pieces, and puree the rest into the syrup. Your Waring Blendor® will puree fruit. Add the pureed fruit and syrup to the basic cream mix just before processing. ”

“ Quantity of good thick cream according to requirement. The white of 1 egg to 1/4 pint. Whip it well with a whisk or fork until it gets quite thick; in hot weather it should be kept on ice or standing in another basin with cold water, as the cream might curdle. Add sugar to taste and whatever flavouring might be desired, this latter giving the cream its name. When whipped cream is used to pour over sweets, &c., flavour it with stick vanilla; a piece 1 inch long is sufficient for 1/2 pint of cream; it must be split and as much as possible of the little grains in it rubbed into the cream. ”

“ Skim the milk twice a day into the stone churn; add a little salt, and stir it well every time you put in fresh cream. Use spring water, but don’t allow ice to come in contact with the butter; it destroys both color and flavor. If your cream is too warm, the butter will come more quickly, but it will be white and soft. When the cream is so cold that it takes me half an hour to churn, I always have the best butter. ”

“ To a pound of any preserved fruit add a quart of good cream, squeeze the juice of two lemons into it and some sugar to taste. Let the whole be rubbed through a fine hair sieve, and if raspberry, strawberry, or any red fruit, add a little cochineal to heighten the colour: have the freezing pot nice and clean; put the cream into it and cover it; then put it into the tub with ice beat small, and some salt; turn the freezing pot quick, and as the cream sticks to the sides, scrape it down with an ice-spoon, and so on till it is frozen. ”

“ It is thus considerably lighter than the other constituents, and when milk is left at rest, the fat globules gradually rise to the top and float there, forming cream. The difference in specific gravity between cream and milk is taken advantage of in the mechanical separator, now so much used, and which makes such a thorough separation between the two. Cream is an article of the most varied composition, according to the ideas of the person who produces it, but it ought to contain at least 20 per cent. of butter fat, and may be made with a much larger percentage if necessary. ”

“ Sweeten a pint of cream with powdered white sugar—set it on a few coals. When hot, stir in white wine until it curdles—add rosewater or essence of lemon to the taste, and turn it into cups. Another way of making them, which is very nice, is to mix a pint of cream with one of milk, five beaten eggs, a table-spoonful of flour, and three of sugar. Add nutmeg to the taste, and bake the custards in cups or pie plates, in a quick oven. ”

“ In large dairy industries the separator is practically the only method now employed for securing cream while for farm use the gravity method of standing in a cool place for twelve or twenty-four hours is the commonly practiced method.
Cream is used on the table with fruit and cereal foods and especially in beverages such as tea and coffee. It is also prescribed by physicians for certain diseases and derangement of the digestive organs where the nitrogen content of milk produces irritation and fails of digestion. ”

“ The writer never uses cream in combination with salad dressings, from the fact that lemon juice and vinegar curdle cream. The desired quantity of the following is a good substitute: one teacupful of fresh, rich, sweet milk thickened with one teaspoonful{7} of corn starch cooked in a double boiler; when it begins to thicken add one teaspoonful of butter. When it is the consistency of thick cream, remove from fire, beat well and put near ice until needed. ”

“ Cream should treble its bulk in whipping. By following these directions one need have no difficulty, if cream is of right consistency; always bearing in mind heavy cream must be whipped with an egg-beater; thin cream must be whipped with a churn.
Charlotte Russe Soak gelatine in cold water, dissolve in scalded cream, strain into a bowl, and add sugar and vanilla. Set bowl in pan of ice-water and stir constantly until it begins to thicken, then fold in whip from cream, adding one-third at a time. Should gelatine mixture become too thick, melt over hot water, and again cool before adding whip. ”

“ Cream, Whipped.—Rub 4 or 5 pieces sugar on a lemon, then add the juice to them with 1 good tablespoonful brandy; when the sugar is dissolved and sweetened to taste, put it into a basin; take 1⁄2 pint cream, and pour in, gently stirring it with the whip, then continue to whip steadily, not too fast, until the cream becomes thick, but be careful not to turn it to butter. Put it away for a few hours into a cold larder, then it [404] will become quite thick and ready to put over your jelly or trifle; it is best to whip it the day before it is wanted. ”

“ Demand of the milkman that he furnish you cream of a certain percentage of butter-fat and see to it that you get what you pay for. If you have no Babcock tester the milk inspector will test the cream for you.
Whipped Cream.—For whipping, cream must be fairly rich, from 24% to 32%, and it must be cold. Fresh, sweet cream does not whip as readily as that 50which has been kept for 12 or 24 hours in ice water. There is no other secret connected with the process. Use a rich cream, suitably cooled and aged, and with a good beater there can be no trouble in getting a fine, stiff whipped cream. ”

“ When it begins to stiffen, mould, chill, and serve with whipped cream if desired. Observing the same proportions, Bavarian Creams may be made of apples, apricots, bananas, cherries, chestnuts, cocoanut, figs, preserved ginger, gooseberries, plums, huckleberries, oranges, pears, peaches, pineapple, quinces, raspberries, strawberries, chopped nuts, chocolate syrup, maple syrup, coffee,—indeed almost anything. When almonds are used, a little more cream should be added. There should be one cupful of cream and gelatine, two cupfuls of whipped cream, and one cupful of fruit pulp. ”

“ Cream may be substituted entirely for the milk, when its richness is considered desirable.
New milk, 1 pint; rind 1 small lemon; bitter almonds, 6 to 8 (or, vanilla, 1/2 pod) ; salt, few grains; isinglass, 3/4 oz. (1 oz. in sultry weather) ; sugar, 4-1/2 oz.; cream, 1/2 pint; yolks, 6 eggs; dried cherries, 2 oz.; candied citron, 1-1/2 oz.; (or, preserved ginger, 2 to 3 oz., and the syrup as sauce, and 1 oz. of blanched pistachio-nuts; or 4 oz. currants, steamed 20 minutes, and 2 oz. candied orange-rind) . For sauce, sweetened juice of strawberries, raspberries, or plums, or pine apple syrup. ”