My brother and sister-in-law came to visit from Australia a few weeks ago, and as you do when people come to visit from not-England, you do the very English thing of taking them for afternoon tea… although I advise that you should first find out if they wanted a high tea or cream tea because they are very different. If you’re expecting a three-tiered tray of triangled sandwiches, pretty dainties and sparkles, getting a plate with two flat scones and a dollop of jam and/or cream is somewhat disappointing, delicious as it is when you were expecting it.
Anyway, I digress. We got to discussing clotted cream, as you do, and how it’s made and my brother set me the challenge of making clotted cream in the Thermomix®. It turns out you can’t in a TM31 because you can’t switch the movement of the blades off. I have someone testing it on the yoghurt function of the T5 at the moment, so we’ll see how that works out, and let you know.
In the meantime however, this incredibly simple recipe – can you call it a recipe if it’s one ingredient? – can be easily adapted whether for a slow cooker or an iPot or whatever you use. The important thing, really, is that you need to put it in something that can be kept still for three hours, and the greater the surface area, the better. Also realise that a 600ml pot of double cream only gives you about 100ml of clotted cream, so have some ideas on hand for what to do with the remaining cream that is similar to buttermilk, and make it sooner rather than later as it won’t last long.
The clotted cream itself will last for 3-5 days in the fridge.
I’ve seen recipes online for clotted cream that I’m pretty sure are actually sour cream – cream and lemon juice – that is not traditional clotted cream. Clotted cream is thick cream obtained by heating milk slowly and then allowing it to cool while the cream content rises to the top in coagulated lumps.
You can also use clotted cream instead of butter on toast, perfect with jam, or instead of ice cream on hot puddings – or with ice cream if you’re so inclined. I have used it to top chocolate mousse and steamed puddings, as in the pictures.
- 600ml cream (also 600g)
- Pour the double cream into your slow cooker and put it on the lowest setting. On mine this is warm (as compared to low or high). It's roughly 70C.
- Leave the lid off to allow air exposure and leave for 3 - 4 hours.
- Switch the heat off and leave for another hour.
- Move the pot of cream very gently to the fridge making sure not to break the surface or shake it in any way.
- Keep in the fridge overnight, then scoop the top thick layer off carefully, putting that in an airtight container and use the remainder as buttermilk in bread or scones which you can then top with your clotted cream!
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They would also be disappointed if they had requested a high tea and you presented them with “three-tiered tray of triangled sandwiches, pretty dainties and sparkles”. As a meal, tea comes in three varieties: high tea, afternoon tea and cream tea. In your post above you are describing the latter two. High tea is a cooked meal eaten about 5pm. It consists of fish and chips or steak pie with vegetables, for example, followed by either a dessert or cakes, scones and biscuits.
Sorry to be pedantic!
Thanks for setting us straight. That’s certainly news to me. Normally people talk about having ‘tea’ my kids get all excited for a tray of cakes, certainly not their dinner – which is what we have around 5pm!