Sunday 13 December 2009

Butter does indeed make it better!

Rita popped in to Taste Cafe at Bahai Centre for a late lunch yesterday. Along with the usual high calibre of food that is the norm there, one of my favourite chefs in Hobart (Karen Goodwin-Roberts) and owner of Taste is now taking it up to the next level with her latest 'thing' - making her own butter for the cafe!

She has been having Ashgrove send down their totally unenhanced cream, so whipped (or paddled, if you want to be quite specific about it) up a batch of her own butter yesterday, with the only additive being some salt, which, in my humble opinion, you absolutely do need in butter.


This was a test run for the butter-making, and if it makes any difference, I proclaimed it a huge success, as I tasted butter on the crusty bread roll I ordered there specifically to sample her freshly-made butter, that tasted as I remember butter used to taste when I was a child, smothering my bread liberally with butter - as indeed I still do to this very day - unashamedly!

As an activity a few years ago, for a group of high school students, I organised for them to have a clean, lidded jar along with a marble. They poured cream into the jar till it was half full. They popped the marble into the jar, replaced the screw top lid, then shook the bejesus out of the jar till they had butter (about 5 minutes)! They thought it was magic - and obviously hadn't realised how simple the act of butter making can be! They then ate their own butter on scones - and thought they were the world's best chefs - which they were at that particular point in time, I thought!

Hearing the talk by Cyndy O'Meara still resonating inside my head (from a month ago) about eating as natural food as you can, and eliminating those disgusting chemicals from your food and diet, this butter totally fits in with that ethos.

Thanks Karen - and please keep it up!
Posted on by Rita
8 comments

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well it certainly did for Marlon Brando & Maria Schneider in 'Last Tango in Paris' snigger snigger
Sorry cant help being all 'Adrian Mole'.

Rita said...

Haven't seen Last Tango Steve, I'm sorry, so can't visualise, but my imagination is vivid, and I remember the furore round Last Tango in Paris when it was released - so I think that serves just as well! Probably good I didn't see it if it resulted in that visualisation!

Anon2 said...

Re 'Last Tango in Paris' the comment was - 'What a waste of butter!'

sir grumpy said...

Was that Maeve O'Meara, Rita?

Rita said...

No Sir G - Cyndi O'Meara - different food person. Google her and you'll see. Just as personable in her own way though!

lemon curd said...

I love making butter :) I've been making it using my thermomix (about 1.5min including draining the butter milk etc), and always add good salt and a dash of oil to keep it soft in the fridge :)
Crusty bread, butter and vegemite!

Anonymous said...

Vegemite has the same beautifiul texture as duck shit.

Anonymous said...

and more cholesterol....