Spreads – From Scratch

Some things are just better when they’re made from scratch, not to mention that making something “with your own two hands” gives such great satisfaction. When you do this, you will know exactly what ingredients went into your meals, and because of that, it gives you wiggle room for dietary or taste preferences. From Scratch is the way to go…

 

Spreads

If you love making homemade jam after a bountiful summer of berries and other fruits, but have never tried to make other spreads at home, this is your sign.  Making peanut butter (or any kind of nut-butter) is very simple, and even if they seem daunting, cream cheese and butter from scratch are well worth it. Not only because you can use fresh, organic ingredients, but you can customize them on the spot!

 

INGREDIENTS:

Peanut Butter:

3 cups of dry roasted peanuts
salt – optional and to taste

Butter:

2 cups heavy cream
Salt – optional

Cream Cheese:

8 Cups Whole Milk
Juice of 1 Large Lemon (approx. 5 tbsp)

½ tsp salt (or more)
(Optional: additional herbs and spices for flavoring)

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Peanut Butter:

Three cups of peanuts will amount to about one cup of peanut butter, so adjust this as you see fit for how much you’d like to consume. It will last about one month.

Place the peanuts in a stand mixer or high-powered blender and blend at high speed. Scrape down the sides with a spatula every time the pb starts to build up.

A rough dough-like ball will start to form, keep going and it will smooth and blend itself out.

You can blend until you reach the desired consistency, but a creamy and smooth peanut butter will take approximately 10 minutes to come together.

Butter:

I made this in my stand mixer, but it can also easily be made in a food processor. It can be a bit messy, so keep a clean tea towel on hand.

Pour the heavy cream into the stand mixer bowl. If desired, you can add a pinch of salt for flavor.

Attach the whisk attachment to the stand mixer and set it to medium-high speed. Begin beating the cream. Keep an eye on the process; after a few minutes, the cream will start to thicken and form soft peaks. Continue beating until the cream transforms into whipped cream.

Keep mixing beyond the whipped cream stage. The cream will start to separate into butter and buttermilk. This process usually takes about 10-15 minutes.
The butter will begin to clump together and the buttermilk will separate from it.

Once the butter has formed solid clumps and separated from the buttermilk, you can drain off the buttermilk. You can do this by carefully pouring the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a bowl. Save the buttermilk for later use in baking or cooking.

Some people prefer to rinse the butter to remove any remaining buttermilk – I do and did here.
Pour cold water over the butter and then gently knead it under the water. Repeat this process until the water runs clear.

Now you can shape the butter into a ball or log, or simply work it into a container.

Store your homemade butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should last for about a week.

Use your homemade butter on bread, toast, or in any recipe that calls for butter. Enjoy the rich, creamy flavor of your homemade creation!

 

Cream Cheese:

Begin by pouring the milk into a saucepan. Heat the milk over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.

Once the milk is boiling, add the lemon juice and immediately turn off the heat.
Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to allow the milk to curdle. (During this time, you’ll observe curds forming and a yellowish liquid separating.)

Once the curds have formed, strain the curdled milk through a cheesecloth (or clean tea towel) lined sieve to separate the liquid whey.

Rinse the curds under cold water to remove any excess whey clinging to them. Squeeze the curdled milk to remove any remaining liquid whey. You may need to do this several times.

Transfer the strained curds to a food processor, or blender, and add the salt (to taste).
Blend until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, usually within 1-2 minutes, depending on the machine’s power.

If desired, add additional herbs or flavorings at this stage. Note that certain ingredients may affect the cheese’s shelf-life; dried herbs will make the cream cheese last longer than fresh, but if you’re consuming quickly, go fresh!

Store the cream cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

ENJOY!