Appy poly ogies

I must apologise for my piss-poor attempt at a British Accent in Gastrocast #7. I slipped too quickly from my Kentish Drawl into a slim Irish Brogue. I should have stuck with my Shropshire Bumpkin.



A further note on the English Cream Tea I was mentioning–the delights of I have not experience since my youth.  This also is a reference to a light afternoon meal of tea and cakes.  A cream tea is only such with Clotted Cream. It is also known a Devonshire Tea because clotted cream is a specialty of Devon and Cornwall. Clotted Cream, as far as I can find, has no equivalent substitute in the Cotswolds–it remains Devonshire Clotted Cream. I actually prefer Lemon Curd with an afternoon tea.



I had forgotten, as well, that the topic of Devonshire Clotted Cream was crucially relevant to my related rant on Raw Milk.  Raw Cream is the initial ingredient with which to make clotted cream. You must let the cream sit at room temperature for 12 hours. Then the cream is scalded, but not boiled. Then it must be chilled for 12 hours and then skimmed. The thick clotted skim is what you’re after. It does not need whipping and has a slightly cooked flavor–perfect with berries and scones. There are many recipes out there which use marscapone, or cream cheese to achieve a clotted cream effect, but they are just shamery. True clotted cream must be made with Raw Cream for flavor and texture. As it is not boiled, but heated to around 190ºF (scalding temp) it is pasturized, but not before it can develop some character. Now that I have recalled this I am going to cycle over to the neighbors farm and get some raw cream–some to pour, some for creme fraiche, and some to clot. Come Sunday afternoon there’ll be scones in the oven, a fresh pot and a nice cuppa to enjoy in the garden. And an expanding wasteline on Monday. . . .