Enchanted Fairy Butter Recipes

FLAVOURED BUTTERS

Steps:

• Take 100g of butter out of the fridge for an hour to soften. Flavour is key, so use good-quality semi-salted or unsalted butter. Beat the butter with a wooden spoon until it is soft and creamy, then beat in any of the flavourings you fancy. See each below.
• Tip the flavoured butter onto a square of baking parchment or cling film, roll it around the butter to form a sausage shape, then twist the ends to seal. The butter is now ready to be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge or up to a month in the freezer.

HOME-CHURNED BUTTER

Steps:

• Pour the cream into a jar with a clean marble inside. Screw the lid on tightly. Shake the jar continuously for 5 mins (you can take turns shaking with someone else). The movement of the marble acts as a whisk and helps the butter to churn. You can do it without the marble, it just takes longer. At first the cream will thicken to whipped cream, then it will get even thicker. After about 5 mins you will hear sloshing in the jar - give it a few more vigorous shakes, and that's the butter churned.
• Scrape out the contents into a sieve sitting over a bowl - the liquid that drains out is buttermilk (which can be kept and used for baking or in pancakes), and the fatty solid in the sieve is the butter.
• With clean hands, squeeze the butter between your fingers over the sieve to squeeze out any more buttermilk, while working it into a ball. 'Wash' the butter in a bowl of ice-cold water to get rid of any residual buttermilk.
• To make brandy butter, beat the sugar and a small pinch of salt into the butter, then work in the brandy 1 tbsp at a time. Will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

FAIRY BUTTER - FLORAL BUTTER WITH ROSE OR ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER

Steps:

• Pound the cooked egg yolks with the floral water, (rose water or orange blossom water) and the icing sugar. Make a fine paste with all of the ingredients.
• Add the egg yolk mixture with the softened butter and mix thoroughly. When it is well mixed and smooth, allow the butter to firm up in a cool place or the fridge.
• Take the block of firm fairy butter and push it through a sieve, so that the little "fairy" pieces of butter fall in a loose heap on to a pretty serving plate. I have also used a tea strainer; it is smaller and easy to use. If you are making a large batch, you can also use a potato ricer.
• Serve the Fairy Butter in a pretty dish and serve with hot scones, pancakes, griddle cakes, toast, crumpets, traditional tea cakes and loaves.