Dairy Decadence to Drive the Dark Dreary Doldrums Away

Hot tea, fresh scones, clotted cream, and jam: all elements of the English “Cream Tea,” and a fantastic remedy for the damp, dreary weather which, though perfectly normal for the season, can cast a pall over the seeming endless dark days.

Clotted cream is made by thickening rich cream with indirect heat, resulting in a delicious, high-butterfat spread whose flavor falls somewhere between butter and whipped cream. This amazing concentrated cream flavor combines with scones, biscuits, cookies, fresh fruit, fruit or nut pies, toast and the like with amazing synergy. It is also called Devonshire or Cornish Cream, though the product made in those locations is made from the local cream and has proprietary characteristics.

Prior to my experiment in making clotted cream, I had only ever had the imported variety sold in jars, which I found heavenly. Little did I suspect that it was only a pale (and expensive) shadow of the homemade article, which is not only toe-curlingly delicious but simple to make as well, though there is an investment of waiting time.

For my batch of clotted cream I used five half-pint containers of Lochmead whipping cream poured into a glass 13 x 9 baking dish. This made in excess of two cups of finished clotted cream, which goes a long way! From the reading I did, it sounds like the cream will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for about a week, though I confess my batch didn’t last half that long (I shared it, though!).

You don’t need to start with so much cream, but the depth is important: the cream needs to be poured into an oven-safe glass or ceramic dish, and the liquid should be at least one but no more than three inches deep. All the action happens at the surface. The variety is also important: ultra-pasteurized cream will not work.

I used an oven set to 180° for ten hours. Check the temperature if your oven is unreliable; you don’t want the cream to scorch. The dish should not be agitated during that time. After a few hours, a cracked yellow surface crust forms which changes little in appearance for many hours. When ten to twelve hours have elapsed, turn the oven off and let the dish cool until it can be transferred to the refrigerator. Don’t pour it into another container, stir it, or agitate it: the layer of thickened cream can be recombined with the whey at this point.

Before skimming the thickened cream

After refrigerating for about eight hours, the thickened cream, with its yellow crust of butterfat, can be skimmed from the dish. In my experiment, the layer was thick and easy to separate from the thin whey. At room temperature, the clotted cream was about as spreadable as soft butter, though with a more creamy consistency; refrigerated, it was slightly stiffer, though not as hard as cold butter.

There was about a pint or a pint and a half of remaining whey, about the consistency of 2% milk–a little richer than skim–and had a lovely, almost toasty flavor. I heated this and used it to make café au lait.

As previously mentioned, clotted cream can be used in a lot of ways, but it’s traditionally paired with hot, fresh scones (this is one of my favorite recipes) for a delightful treat.

Prosciutto-wrapped figs are an easy and elegant appetizer

Black mission figs, ready for this mission!

The juxtaposition of salty-savory and sweet-fruity makes a rich place of rewarding and luxurious flavor. The combination of prosciutto and melon is a great way to get mouths watering in the summer; in the Fall prosciutto and figs fill the same niche with a richer, mellower burst of flavor.

Firmer figs are generally less ripe and therefore less sweet, but hold their shape well under the broiler; softer, sweeter figs deliver a little more lusciousness. Black mission and brown Turkey figs ripen brown or greenish brown on the outside with brown or purplish insides; green figs like Kadota and Adriatic are green outside and pink to magenta inside; candy-striped figs are festively striped green and yellow. Different varieties range from nearly neutral sweetness to candy-sweet. Any variety of fresh fig can be used in this easy recipe.

Just wrapping a raw fig in a thin slice of prosciutto and munching it immediately is delicious. For a more developed experience of flavor and texture, trim the hard stem end off washed and dried figs and wrap them in a thin slice of prosciutto (I like to envelop the fig entirely; the prosciutto could also be wrapped in a band around the fig and anchored with a toothpick), then arrange them on an oven-safe rack or pan and put them under a hot broiler for a few minutes.

Watch the figs carefully; broiling will only take about three to five minutes. You want the prosciutto to get a little crisp and the fig to be warmed through, without blackening or burning.

Serve warm or room temperature. Even the brief broiling will soften the figs so they burst delightfully in the mouth (be careful: they will also hold more heat inside than you might expect!).

For an added savor, serve prosciutto-wrapped figs with a balsamic reduction. For an easy sauce, take one cup of balsamic vinegar and add one tablespoon of sugar. Heat the mixture to boiling, reduce the heat, and simmer very gently for 20-30 minutes. The longer the mixture simmers, the more intense and concentrated it will be. The air will be redolent of vinegar!

The reduction will thicken as it cools to a syrupy texture. Serve the figs in a shallow dish and drizzle them with the balsamic reduction for a wonderful sweet/salty/tart/savory explosion of rich autumn flavor.

Created and photographed by Kazar

Despite the somewhat regressive weather, summer is hard upon us, with its potlucks, athletic events, and picnics. Here’s an easy but elegant idea for an appetizer.

Prosciutto di Parma is an air-cured ham from the hills in the region of Parma,  Italy. Only hams from a limited area (called a Protected Designation of Origin) and only hams of a particular quality receive the special firebrand crown of Prosciutto di Parma.

While most preserved meats today contain added nitrates or nitrites as preservatives, the only ingredients in a true Prosciutto di Parma are pork and salt. Salt is used to draw moisture from the fresh meat in a skillful process that has its origin in Roman times. This concentrates the flavor, while little of the salt enters the ham. Prosciutto di Parma must be aged at least one year; some are cured for as long as three years, resulting in a rich, dense, savory flavor.

The strict rules of the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma guarantee that true Proscuitto di Parma has no added preservatives, colorants, or anything other than “pork, salt, air, and time.”

The pork is special, too–the pigs it comes from are fed a specially controlled diet of grains, cereals, and the whey left over from the making of Parmigiano Reggiano, which imparts a nutty flavor to the meat.

The Kiva carries a Prosciutto di Parma from Beretta, which is presliced (presliced in Parma, according to the rules of the Parma Ham Consortium!) for convenience. One package contains eight slices, ready to use, with convenient separators.

For about 14 to 16 appetizers, you will need:

Eight thin slices of prosciutto (you will end up with some scraps and shreds, which can be used any way you like. This recipe can be made with any good quality prosciutto, though not all are as rich or complex in flavor as Prosciutto di Parma)

Enough watermelon to provide 14 to 16 one to one-and-a-half inch cubes (whatever seems bite-sized to you)

A few fresh basil leaves

Toothpicks and a serving plate

And that’s it! Kazar used strawberries and parsley as a garnish to make a nice presentation; they will also offer a nice flavor contrast to cleanse your palate between bites.

To form the prosciutto roses:

Keep the slices you are not working on cold, in the refrigerator or on ice; they will be easier to work with. Cut or separate the prosciutto slices lengthwise and roll them up, starting with a tight coil in the center and loosen as you go. Flair the top of the “petals” out with your fingers, or use a toothpick as a sculpting tool. Practice makes perfect in this endeavor.

Don’t go overboard on the basil; a small leaf or half of a large one is sufficient.

To hold this little flavor bomb together, insert the toothpick as shown in the photo, over the outer edge of the prosciutto and through its center into the watermelon.

Consume while fresh.

What does it taste like? Our cheese czar, Kazar, says, “There is a rush of sweet, luscious juice; strong aromatics and anise tones from the basil, finishing with the chewy, parmesan-like saltiness of the prosciutto. The aromatics linger. It’s a full spectrum of flavor: sweet, herbal, salty, sharp.”

Enjoy!

Saint Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone and Gruyere

We’re back! It’s been awhile since we’ve teamed up to choose a cheese and wine pairing for the Kiva’s blog! This month’s tasting team is comprised of Ziggy, the Kiva’s winebuyer; Kazar, Cheesebuyer and Wine Department; and Janet, who works with Supplements and Housewares.

The wine we chose is Saint Cosme 2013, a Syrah from France’s Cotes-du-Rhone region, a major player in the French wine trade. It’s a large region with many different terroirs. According to the winemaker’s notes, St. Cosme is grown in soil with “limestony sands, red clay, and rolling stones.”

Ziggy says:

While I’m not sure about the rolling stones, there is a nice mineral component of this wine. St. Cosme has a lovely nose with hints of charcoal, cooked blackberries, and dusty Mediterranean herbs. The mouth was silky and nimble; it drinks like a light wine but has a medium body. The blackberry and herbal notes come through on the palate, with spice, pepper, and a clean mineral edge. The tannins are light and soft. The wine delivers plenty of fruit with just a hint of bitterness that is desirable in a table wine.

Gruyere, an aged, raw-milk cheese from Switzerland, is technically a Swiss cheese, but a very different critter than what we usually refer to as “Swiss cheese,” best known for its eyes (or holes) such as Jarlsberg, Emmenthaler, and the familiar American version of these whose mellow and rubbery presence is featured on many a ham sandwich.

I, for one, don’t much like most Swiss cheese. I find its flavor flat, like a soda that has lost its fizz. Gruyere, on the other hand, is one of my favorites as an all-around wine cheese. Its smooth texture–a little like chocolate in the way it melts luxuriously on the palate–is sometimes enhanced by a few crystals in the paste, and its sweet/salty/rich/nutty flavor, seem to go well with many, many wines, especially dry French reds. Common culinary uses for Gruyere include fondues and a traditional topping for French onion soup.

Gruyere is creamy & nutty when young, becoming more assertive, earthy, and complex with age (typically aged from 5 to 10 months). We tried two varieties of Gruyere, Emmi, aged in the standard fashion in a climate-controlled cellar, and Mifroma, aged traditionally in a cave for 11 months. The milk for both of these cheeses comes from sustainably-raised cows pastured on grass in the summer and fed hay in the winter, lending a subtle herbal note to the cheese.

Emmi is sweet, mild, rich, firm, and savory. Its flavor is stronger near the rind with a bit of barnyard funk. It’s delicious as part of a cheese plate or in any recipe which calls for Gruyere.

The Mifroma has a slightly drier paste and is subtler, stronger, more buttery and a bit less sweet, with more crystals to add contrast to the smooth texture. The more complex flavors emerge as you chew.

The vivid contrast of the dry, herbal wine with the sweet, unctuous cheese brings out the rich berry notes of the St. Cosme and downplays the (nicely balanced) acidic and bitter factors. The wine, with its clean finish, refreshes and resets the palate.

There’s an old saying in the wine trade,”buy on fruit (or bread, or water, or even carrots) and sell on cheese.” The former tend to make the taster’s palate clear and crisp, which helps accentuate any defects in the flavors of wine. Cheese, on the other hand, brings out rich and mellow notes in wine and helps disguise its shortcomings (and therefore makes it easier to sell). The St. Cosme, which is interesting and nicely balanced, has no need of cheese to downplay any faults, but cheese can also enhance and elevate beautiful wines.

St. Cosme would be appropriate in many food applications, particularly with cheesy and savory herbal dishes, and is a good value for its reasonable price.

Kazar says:

The sweet & salty, sharp quality of the cheese balanced nicely with the delicate, tannic, dark fruit of the wine. The subtlety of flavor the wine possessed created a pleasing foundation; the cheese pierced through to rich and full heights on the palate.

Janet was moved to poetry:

The Mifroma Cave-Aged Gruyere has a nutty flavor and texture which slowly releases its complexity, and then lingers sweetly on your tongue.

As you sip and swallow that almost buttery wine while the cheese is dissolving you realize how that delicious and delicate blend of wine and cheese blend like fruit in a pie shell, balance each other with a feeling of togetherness.

A delicious and delicate balance of wine and cheese that blends like

An onion and tears

A pear and peanut butter

A banana in a smoothie

Like soil and rain

As the sunrise over the mountain through the sky

Like chocolate upon the tongue

Like a river flows into the ocean

Like a dancer on the floor

Like a wind in the woods.