My Cooking and My Garden: Butter (Continued)

Quality of Butter
A good butter should have a semi-soft consistency at room temperature and ought not to 'sweat' (an indication that it contains too high a proportion of water). It should have a slightly aromatic smell and a sweet, pleasant flavour. When placed on the tongue, it should melt without leaving any deposit.
The colour varies according to the time of year it was produced and the type of animal feeding chosen by the farmers. It can be almost white. The content of substances other than fat (milk constituents remaining in the butter after churning and washing mush not exceed 18 per cent, of which 16 per cent should be water
The Value of Butter
Butter is an expensive energy food (750 calories per 100 g). It contains a large amount of Vitamin A (the vitamin that promotes growth) and Vitamin D (the anti-rachitic vitamin), but the quantities of these vary according to the quality of the butter, animal feeding methods, and the season. (New Larousse Gastronomique)

Cooking With Butter

Susy's Recipe

Braised Apple on Buttery Dough

Sliced Susy's Apple Tart

Braised Apple on Buttery Dough.

It's light and luscious.

Preserving of Butter- There are various methods of preserving butter. The most common is by adding some salt.
- Salted butter is done by working a quantity of fine salt into the butter. There are two types: demi-sel butter (3-5% salt) and salted butter (8 to 10% ). Demi sel or salted are the most suitable for cooking.

Unsalted Butter

Baking with butter.

Salted butter is butter added with some salt as a preservative. Unsalted butter is the best for baking. Salt toughens the glutens in flour.

Clarified Butter.
Butter is frequently clarified for cooking purposes, the water is evaporated, precipitating the casein contained in the butter. By using clarified butter, food can be lightly fried or sautéed without over browning and, the butter has been dehydrated, without causing spitting and spluttering.

Susy's Apple Tart Recipe

Braised Apple on Butter Dough.

The dough

250g plain flour

125 unsalted butter, cube and softened

7 g yeast and 1/2 cup of warm water

2 eggs

1 tablespoon caster sugar

Method

In a bowl stir and mix the warm water and yeast, keep aside

Place the flour in a mixing bowl, add in the two eggs, salt.

Pour in the yeast, then mix with an electric mixer, to make a soft dough

Mix for two minutes, then add the soft cubes butter, each cube every time

Keep on beating until you have a smooth, soft dough (about 6-8 minutes)

Keep in the bowl, cover and proof it for 1 hour or more.

Braised Apples

2 delicious golden apples, peeled and diced

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 juice of a lime

lime rinds

1/2 tablespoon water

Place all ingredients in a heavy based pot, stir them together

Cook the apple to braise over a low heat with the cover on for 30 minutes.

Stir it from time to time. When it is cooked and soft, take it off the heat.

The diced apple should hold the shape with some syrup in it

Keep it a side to cool.

Extra ingredients

1 tablespoon almond meal
15 g butter, cube into small pieces

Baking

Roll the dough into 1/2 cm thickness

Cut and shape into a small circle about 20 cm

Place on a lined round tin

Put the apple mixture on in, spread evenly, add the small cubes butter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 11- 13 minutes

To serve

Transfer onto a serving plate, dust the pastry with icing sugar

Cut into wedges, I serve it plain without cream.

(Serve as you wish, add some cream or ice cream)

The Preparation and the Baking

Cooking with butter

Butter has excellent flavour in cooking, but there is a negative thing to cook with butter. It has the lowest smoking point of any form of fat. Butter is the smallest, followed by olive oil then Sunflower oil. For sautéing, you need a hot temperature to do, a combination of butter and some other oil is used, (e.g., butter with sunflower oil).

Butter is a big topic, most European cooking uses butter, mainly French cuisine.
I may be back to share my experience to cook with butter again next time.