Cultured butter

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We use this butter for everything, from sauces to roasting, poaching or brushing meat, fish and vegetables to glazing desserts and pastries. And we love to flavour it with different ingredients—herbs, spices, vegetables, honey from our bees or pollen from the flowers in the garden or around the property. The sky is the limit, really. But the one thing that is a common standout experience for every guest at Langdon Hall is this butter in its natural form spread on some of our fresh-baked sourdough bread, with just a sprinkle of Canadian flaky sea salt on top.

YIELDS

Ingredients

4 cups whipping (35% cream)
1/2 cup plain natural full-fat yogurt
Flaky sea salt, for garnish

Directions

The day before you would like the butter, whisk together the whipping cream and yogurt in a stand mixer bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand at room temperature overnight.
Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit with the whisk attachment. Cover the mixer with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to prevent the cream from splashing once you start the mixer. Whip on high speed until the cream is at a medium peak, about five minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and mix until the cream over whips and splits. You’ll know when this happens because the butterfat milk solids will separate from the buttermilk and start to clump around the whisk. Reduce the speed to low and continue to whip until all the butterfat has separated from the buttermilk, about three more minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the buttermilk for another recipe.
Transfer the butterfat to stainless steel or ceramic bowl.
Rinse the butterfat under cold running water while kneading it with your hands. Once you see no more milky fluid when you squeeze the butterfat, you have “washed” it enough. It is important to remove all the milky liquid to prevent the butter from spoiling. Turn the water off, drain the bowl and continue to knead and squeeze the butterfat until you can’t extract any more liquid from it. At this time you can shape or form the butter into blocks or cylinders or press it into a mould or dish. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months.
Remove the butter from the fridge about one hour before using it. Garnish with flaky sea salt.

JB’S TIP: For me, radishes with butter is one of the best ways to taste the butter. The peppery crunch of fresh radishes is incredible, and when you combine it with the sweet, salty, rich, creamy butter, it’s a match made in heaven. One of my favourite ways to serve this is to bring guests down into the garden and pull some radishes right out of the ground together. We wash them and dip them in some of our freshly made butter whipped with a taste of Langdon Hall estate honey. There’s hardly anything better.