Tuesday, January 5, 2010

How to Make Clotted Cream - Ashta/Qashta

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Ashta/Clotted Cream is a sweet, thick cream used frequently in Middle Eastern desserts. It is typically made by a painstaking process of boiling down full cream milk, but I saw this post on Joumana's breathtaking site Taste of Beirut and I had to try her at-home method for making this delightful thick cream because I was set to make the Lebanese dessert Bread of the Seraglio.

I think its use can be expanded to pastries and cakes as well, and I can't wait to try it out. But in the meantime I think I'm just going to dip myself into the bowl above and lie in it for a while. I'm sure Cleopatra would approve...
Homemade Ashta/Clotted Cream
2 cups half-and-half
2 slices white bread, crusts removed
1 heaped tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp orange blossom water
1 tsp rose water

1. Dice the bread.
2. Heat milk, add cornstarch, sugar and bread pieces whilst stirring.
3. Reduce heat to low, and continue stirring until milk starts to thicken and become lumpy.
4. Remove from heat, add flavourings.

4 comments:

  1. That is the first time I hear about it and it looks delicious! thanks for sharing :)

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  2. Great job Ann~ I applaud you! You were not put off by this weird recipe~ actually that's what everybody uses in Lebanon nowadays!

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  3. That isn't what I would consider clotted cream. Clotted cream is JUST cream, nothing else. You just simmer cream until it is half it's volume, and with a nice golden crust on top, cool, and then mix together. The crust is what makes the lumps.

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  4. @Anon - this is probably a quick way to get the lumps in the cream. Thanks for your feedback, next time do leave your name....

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