Why? Because you can! And pickle, and jam, or otherwise celebrate the resurgence of the domestic arts our forebears held so dear. Put on your best apron and step into our kitchen, won't you?
Cultured butter is dead easy to make. This butter is distinctly different from sweet cream butter, with a denser texture and slightly tangy flavor. “Cultured” means that the cream is fermented into cream fraiche/sour cream before being churned.
Morocco doesn't have much of a dairy tradition, but there's one exception that dates back centuries: It's called smen, and it's a stinky, fermented butter made from sheep, goat or cow milk.
How to make (optionally cultured) butter and buttermilk in TWO EASY STEPS (plus one difficult step). Seriously, make it the hard way. Be humbled and astounded by the mere fact of butter.
I made a more sophisticated version of homemade butter by adding crème fraiche to heavy cream and letting it sit at room temperature overnight to allow the live cultures to develop.
Perfect for your St. Patrick's Day soda bread, slathered thickly on any baked good, or melted over vegetables or fresh pasta, cultured butter is a richly flavored treat. This recipe is a 2-for-1 since you get fresh buttermilk too!
Letting the cream go sour adds a welcome, mild funkiness to this homemade butter. This recipe hearkens to European-style butters where flavor is something to be desired, not obliterated as it is under USDA guidelines.