CLOTTED CREAM

Clotted cream, also known as clouted cream or Devonshire cream, is made by heating and cooling whole milk in shallow pots. The farm's fresh milk for Clotted Cream is cooked, but not boiled. As the milk is cooled, clumps or clots develop that collect on a dense layer at the top of the liquid.

Clotted Cream is formed by skimming such clumps out of the milk. Clotted Cream is a thick, dense, spoonful milk with a minimum fat content of 55%. The colour of Clotted Cream can be white or very light yellow, based on the amount of carotene in the grass on which the cows graze. However, color is not a price indicator.

Clotted Cream arose in the counties of Cornwall and Devon in the southwest of England. It was first meant for use by farmers as a way of eliminating waste in their milk output. In the 1990s, Cornish Clotted Cream was classified as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) by the European Union, stating that it can only be produced in Cornwall and has a minimum fat content of 55%.

Clotted Cream is usually eaten on scones, with fruity jam and tea. These are the ingredients of the popular British "ice tea" together. Clotted Cream is often used as an accompaniment on other sweets and can also be eaten with tasty meals. It may also be used as an ingredient to thicken sauces or as a gourmet alternative to other creams such as cream fraiche.

New Clotted Cream is particularly perishable, rendering it hard to locate in the US