Ideas for buttermilk?
#11
  Re: (...)
After five years of being here with no access to buttermilk other than the SACO powder my parents once sent, it appears I may now have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the stuff.

Someone I know now has someone who can get her hands onto just about as much buttermilk as we want. Furthermore, since they usually just throw it out, she is willing to GIVE it to us at no cost.

Understand: this is REAL buttermilk - the liquid that is left after the production of butter - and it is NOT pasteurised. This is NOT modern, American, pasteurised, CULTURED buttermilk.

The first question (from this suburb-raised Yankee) is whether the difference between real, old-fashioned buttermilk and cultured buttermilk is critical for any particular recipes, or whether they are otherwise interchangeable.

The second question is whether this buttermilk should be strained to remove the little lumps of butter that are in it.

The third question is whether this buttermilk should be boiled, for some uses, since it is not already pasteurised, or whether it specifically should NOT be boiled.

The final question is what to DO with this much buttermilk. I have already given my friend the Uncle Wallace Pancake recipe, as well as recipes for Buttermilk Biscuits, Bran Muffins, Homemade Cream Cheese, Ranch Dressing and Southern Buttermilk Fried Chicken. What else would you all suggest?

Since I'm starting the process of moving to the new apartment, I won't be trying any of these ideas for at least a week, but this supply of buttermilk is such that all I need to do is ask, and I could have GALLONS of buttermilk the next day!
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#12
  Re: Ideas for buttermilk? by labradors (After five years of ...)
Regarding pasturized and fresh, I have NO clue. But I do have a buttermilk brine that I use for chicken. It's my favorite grilled chicken recipe. Don't forget Jean's Roquefort Dressing.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 quart buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 pounds chicken thigh
1 3/4 pounds chicken drumstick

In a large bowl, mix buttermilk, shallots, garlic, salt, sugar, cumin, and pepper.

Rinse chicken thighs and drumsticks and pat dry. Trim off excess fat. Submerge chicken pieces in buttermilk brine. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or up to 1 day (see notes).

Lift chicken from brine; discard brine. Wipe excess from chicken with paper towels.

Lay chicken pieces on a barbecue grill over medium coals or medium heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 4 to 5 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning frequently, until browned on both sides and no longer pink at the bone (cut to test), 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Description:
"The buttermilk brine makes this chicken tender and juicy."
S(Internet Address):
"http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1010520#"

NOTES: Brine the chicken up to 1 day before grilling; grill up to 1 day before serving (chill airtight). (I like mine right off the grill, but it is good cold. Transport in brine when grilling on-site. Keep the meat well chilled in an ice chest until ready to serve or grill.

I have been told this brine works really well for fried chicken, also.
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#13
  Re: Ideas for buttermilk? by labradors (After five years of ...)
From Wikipedia-

Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. It also refers to a range of fermented milk drinks, common in warm climates (e.g., Middle-East, India, or the Southern USA) where fresh milk would otherwise sour quickly. It is also popular in Scandinavia, despite the cold climate.[1]

Whether traditional or cultured, the tartness of buttermilk is due to the presence of acid in the milk. The increased acidity is primarily due to lactic acid, a byproduct naturally produced by lactic acid bacteria while fermenting lactose, the primary sugar found in milk. As lactic acid is produced by the bacteria, the pH of the milk decreases and casein, the primary protein in milk, precipitates causing the curdling or clabbering of milk. This process makes buttermilk thicker than plain milk. While both traditional and cultured buttermilk contain lactic acid, traditional buttermilk tends to be thinner whereas cultured buttermilk is much thicker.[2]


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Now this is me:

So to me it sounds like you can use it interchangably with our 'cultured' buttermilk in most cases. However , and it is a big however, I would definitely be wary of the unpasturized portion. If you would be using it in cooking and the temperature of pasturization, I would not worry so much. Also, do you now commonly drink unpasturized milk yourself? And are used to our conditioned for it? I am sure it would not fly here in the US.

_______________________________________________________

Another wiki excerpt:

Many governmental (US) officials hold to the need for pasteurization. Before pasteurization, many dairies, especially in cities, fed their cattle on low-quality food, and their milk was rife with dangerous bacteria. Pasteurizing it was the only way to make it safely drinkable. As pasteurization has been standard for many years, it is now widely assumed that raw milk is dangerous.

___________________________________________

Me again:

I sure hope you can use this stuff. It seems like it would be such a shame to let that stuff go to waste when you could use it. I wonder if you can pasturize it after the 'butter-making' process? I wonder if that would affect the acid balance adversely. I have pasturized my own milk and it is a simple process. You may want to give that a try. Especially if this isn't a one-time offer.

________________________________________________

Now here is an interesting blog where this woman makes cream cheese from raw buttermilk . You may want to check out her site for more raw buttermilk information:

Raw foods, whole foods
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
Laura
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#14
  Re: Re: Ideas for buttermilk? by luvnit (From Wikipedia-[br][...)
Daphne:

Thanks. I had seen several copies of that one one the Internet, but hadn't had it, yet, so when I printed up those other recipes for my friend, I went with a recipe for something I HAD had. This does sound good, though, and I DO plan to try it once the dust settles on my move.

Laura:

Quote:

So to me it sounds like you can use it interchangably with our 'cultured' buttermilk in most cases. However , and it is a big however, I would definitely be wary of the unpasturized portion. If you would be using it in cooking and the temperature of pasturization, I would not worry so much. Also, do you now commonly drink unpasturized milk yourself? And are used to our conditioned for it? I am sure it would not fly here in the US.



The milk that I get from the supermarket is (depending upon my budget and mood) either pasteurised, ultra-pasteurised, or powdered (the powdered milks available here are MUCH MUCH better than old Carnation Non-Fat Dry Milk - excellent, in fact!).

Quote:

I sure hope you can use this stuff. It seems like it would be such a shame to let that stuff go to waste when you could use it. I wonder if you can pasturize it after the 'butter-making' process? I wonder if that would affect the acid balance adversely. I have pasturized my own milk and it is a simple process. You may want to give that a try. Especially if this isn't a one-time offer.



Since you've done your own pasteurisation, please post the procedure you have used. That way, if someone else says it will work for this buttermilk, I'll be able to use a technique that you've already tested.

Quote:

Now here is an interesting blog where this woman makes cream cheese from raw buttermilk . You may want to check out her site for more raw buttermilk information:

Raw foods, whole foods



Ah, now there IS a difference there. Upon reading it carefully, I discovered that she was using her own "cultured buttermilk" that she made from WHOLE milk. On her separate page that describes that, she says:
Quote:

***The buttermilk you get after making butter is NOT the same as the whole milk cultured buttermilk that is sold in the stores or that I'm making here!!



Otherwise, I had been wondering where she was getting the curds for the cheese. Old-fashioned buttermilk would have lost the curds to the butter that was made.

The recipe I had seen used buttermilk as a form of mesophilic starter, NOT as the actual source of the curds. That is why I'm not sure if THIS buttermilk will work. If I were to pasteurise this buttermilk, that would probably kill whatever would make it work as a mesophilic starter, so the question, there, would be whether the 170F-175F mentioned in this recipe (which obviously must not be high enough to kill the starter qualities) would yield safe cream cheese.
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#15
  Re: Re: Ideas for buttermilk? by labradors (Daphne:[br][br]Thank...)
My dad gets raw milk for me from a local farmer. All I do to pasteurize it is this:

Pour milk into clean stainless steel pot. Heat to 145 degrees and maintain for 30 minutes. Cool quickly by placing pot into a sink of cold water.

I keep a thermometer in it the entire time and stir gently.

Then I use this to make cheese and ricotta so I don't think it would kill all the helpful bacteria.
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
Laura
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#16
  Re: Re: Ideas for buttermilk? by luvnit (My dad gets raw milk...)
I have access to raw milk for my (beginning) cheese making also. Interesting thread, never thought about all this.


* Exported from MasterCook *

JOAN'S BEST BANANA BREAD

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs -- well beaten
1 cup banana -- mashed, (1 or 2 medium)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup nuts -- optional

With a mixer, beat the shortening, sugar and eggs well.
Add bananas, salt, vanilla and buttermilk.

Sift the flour and baking soda together and add to the liquid ingredients; mix well.

Add nuts, if using. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 F. for 50-60 minutes, until a pick comes out clean.
- - - - -

Here's an idea from Denise (hope it's o.k. to post this)

* Exported from MasterCook *

Squid breading idea - denise's blog

We sliced the body into rings and put them all into buttermilk for a good soak. Now comes the interesting choice of batter. I have never used this product before - phyllo dough. We unrolled the dough and put it into a 200° oven to let it dry out, but not brown.

You keep taking it out and removing the part that is totally dry and put the moist pieces back in. Then you crumble them all up. (funny how it looks like fish food flakes…) So you take the squid out of the buttermilk and dredge it in flour (we added cayenne to ours) then another quick dip into the buttermilk and then they're put into the phyllo dough flakes and immediately placed into a deep fryer till golden brown.


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Double-Corn Fritters with Dungeness Crab Creme Fraiche

Fritters:
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
2/3 cup fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
Corn oil (for frying)
------
Crème fraîche:
6 ounces Dungeness crabmeat -- picked over, patted dry, flaked
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives plus additional chives for garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 Pinch cayenne pepper

For fritters:

Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk and egg in small bowl to blend. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients, then stir in corn kernels, onion, and bell pepper (do not overmix).

Pour enough oil into large skillet to coat bottom.

Heat oil over medium heat. Working in batches, drop 1 scant tablespoon batter for each fritter into hot skillet; spread each to 2-inch round. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet. (Can be made ahead. Let stand at room temperature up to 2 hours or cover and chill overnight. Bake uncovered in 350°F oven until heated through, 6 to 8 minutes.)

Combine the ingredients for the Crème Fraiche and serve with the cakes.
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cis & I made Injeera a couple years ago for an Ethiopian dinner that was fabulous!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Injeera

1/2 cup whole wheat flour -- or tef flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs -- beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon oil

Sift together the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Combine eggs, buttermilk and oil. Add this mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir until smooth.

Pour 2 tablespoons of batter into a hot, lightly greased 6-inch skillet so that the batter covers the bottom. Lift and quickly rotate the pan to even out the batter. Return skillet to medium heat. Cook about one minute or until lightly browned on the bottom. Invert bread onto paper towels. Serve warm. Makes approximately 16 to 20 (serves three to four).

Cuisine:
"Ethiopian"

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and right up your alley, labs -

* Exported from MasterCook *

Fried Mushrooms

8 ounces mushroom
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix flour, salt, mustard, paprika, and pepper in large storage bag. Set aside. Place buttermilk in small bowl. Dip mushrooms in buttermilk. Place mushrooms in bag. Shake to coat. Fry mushrooms until golden.

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* Exported from MasterCook *

Fried Pickles

3 cups buttermilk
2 1/2 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic
1 tablespoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
breadcrumbs
ranch dressing

Blend Buttermilk and seasonings in a bowl. Put breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.

Dry pickle spears with a paper towel. Dip pickle into buttermilk mixture. Dip pickle into bread crumbs. Dip pickle back into buttermilk mixture. Dip pickle back into breadcrumbs.

Deep fry for about 1 minute. Serve with ranch dressing.

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and don't forget to add some buttermilk to mashed potatoes!

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and if you like clams, dipping in buttermilk before coating and frying is really good.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#17
  Re: Re: Ideas for buttermilk? by cjs (I have access to raw...)
Neat ideas, Jean. Had forgotten about Injeera. I really need to add some other Ethiopian things to my to-do list (AFTER moving).

We don't usually get calamari here, but the same principles could probably be used for conch. Not my thing, but my friend may like it.

Of COURSE, I'll have to try those mushrooms!

Would have to use canned crab meat instead of the Dungeness, but that recipe sounds wonderful.
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#18
  Re: Ideas for buttermilk? by labradors (After five years of ...)
How about the Raspberry Lemon Streusel Muffins. They are sure good.

From original post:
I needed to use up some buttermilk and did a search in MC. Came accross these - YUM! Made them this morning with frozen raspberries from last summer. They were a real hit.

One Note - They made 18 muffins for me - recipe says 12. I was out of all purpose flour and used bread flour so I don't know if that was the cause or not. Didn't really hurt the muffins but the batter/dough was thicker than I am used to for a muffin.

Raspberry Lemon Streusel Muffins

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Muffin

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
STREUSEL TOPPING
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel

MUFFINS
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups whole frozen raspberries (about 6 oz) -- do not thaw
1 tablespoon flour

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400º. Stir all
streusel ingredients together to form soft, crumbly dough. Set aside.

Whisk dry muffin ingredients and lemon peel together. In a separate bowl,
combine all liquid ingredients. Add in dry ingredients and stir until
almost fully incorporated. Toss frozen raspberries with flour to coat,
then gently fold into dough, handling only enough to incorporate berries.
Using paper muffin cup liners, fill each cup until 1/4" from top. Crumble
streusel topping over each.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350º and bake for another 10
minutes, or until lightly browned and muffin springs back when pressed
lightly with fingertip.

Makes 9 large or 12 standard size

Source:
"Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission"
S(Internet address):
"http://www.oregon-berries.com/"
Yield:
"12 Muffins"
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Erin
Mom to three wonderful 7th graders!
The time is flying by.
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#19
  Re: Re: Ideas for buttermilk? by esgunn (How about the Raspbe...)
No raspberries.

There IS a local type of blackberry, but it is much more sour than blackberries from the States and is usually used as a drink (after much sugar is added). I've been wanting to try using these berries for other recipes, but just haven't done so, yet. This may be a good recipe with which to experiment. Thanks!
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#20
  Re: Re: Ideas for buttermilk? by labradors (No raspberries.[br][...)
Rob, I would personally prefer a sour berry for a sweet streusel. I agree that this would be a good way to try out those berries.

Jean, I'll have to pass those fried mushrooms on to baby girl...she absolutely LOVES fried mushrooms! If they're on the menu, she's ordering!

I'll be interested to learn what you discover about this buttermilk. If I have time, I'll contact my aunt. They used to have a milk cow when the kids were growing up, and she processed her own milk. Butter, milk, and cream is all I remember her using it for. She may have been as guilty as your new friend about throwing out the rest, but if not, I'll pass on what I learn.
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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