Toasted Cream Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Cooking the cream slow and low allows gentle browning to occur.
  • Adding baking soda to cream encourages browning, even at low temperatures.
  • A pressure cooker can utilize both high heat and baking soda for extra-dark browning and savory flavors.

Browned butter is pretty impressive stuff. A little heat transforms butter’s coy and fresh flavor into something that’s dominating and nutty, perfect for adding depth tobutternut squash risottoand complementing the natural sweetness inroasted Brussels sprouts. And luckily, this delicious metamorphosis isn’t limited to butter. Any dairy can be browned just like butter to add notes of toffee and vanilla to milk, cream, and yogurt.

There are already recipes that capitalize on the deep flavors of cooked dairy, such as lamb marinated with yogurt or goat cooked in its own milk, where the long cooking time reduces the dairy into golden, toasted curds. Separately browning dairy lets you add those deep, nutty flavors, once reserved for long-cooked dishes, to fresh, new applications.

Due to its unlimited versatility, cream is a great place to start playing with browned dairy. It can be whipped into a topping for juicy summer fruits or splashed into a White Russian fora co*cktail we can all abide by, boldly going where no browned butter has gone before.

Toasted Cream Recipe (1)

Some of the flavors in browned butter are due to caramelization, but the majority develop through theMaillard reaction, in which proteins and sugars are broken down and built back up into hundreds of new, complex flavors and aromas. It happens quickly above 300°F (149°C), making the process of browning butter simple. Once the butter has heated enough to drive off the small amount of moisture it contains (whole butter is composed of 18 to 20% water), the temperature quickly rises, allowing the butter solids to brown and infuse the butterfat with nutty flavors and aromas.

With cream, things get more complicated. Even though cream contains more protein than butter—and therefore more browning potential—it also contains more moisture, which prevents that protein from getting it on with some milk sugars so they can create beautiful brown flavors together.

Thankfully, there’s more than one way to trigger the Maillard reaction. Although browning is fastest at 300°F, it starts at temperatures as low as 100°F (38°C), but the reaction can take hours or even days. This is why canned evaporated milk has a tan color and toasty aroma, even though it's heated to only 140°F (60°C) during processing. Cooking cream at 180°F (82°C) for 24 hours doesn’t result in much visible browning, but the development in flavor is striking. The cream takes on all the nutty aromas of browned butter, and becomes perfect for churning into the most intensebutter pecan ice creamor stirring into delicatecauliflower purée.

Another option is to borrow the baking soda trickKenjiuses to quicklycaramelize onionsand achieveextra-brown skin on roast chicken. In both these instances, the baking soda creates an alkaline environment, which speeds up the Maillard reaction—and it works for cream and other dairy, too. Baking soda is traditionally added tocajetaanddulce de lecheto intensify the browning that’s already occurring through the reduction of dairy and sugar. Adding 0.25% baking soda to cream before cooking sous vide increases its browning and enhances its savory flavors, which is ideal for keeping the sweetness of atres lechescakeor flan in check.

Toasted Cream Recipe (3)

To kick browning into overdrive,Alex and Aki at Ideas in Foodcook cream with baking soda in a pressure cooker, using both alkalinity and high heat to achieve maximum browning. Just like the Maillard reaction, caramelization is a function of both time and temperature. When the Maillard reaction is sped up by the baking soda and heat, it quickly outpaces caramelization, resulting in more savory aromas—less butterscotch and oak, more pretzel and coffee. A cream this dark has moved far from its sweet brown-butter roots, which makes it ideal for finishing meatypan saucesand playing with chocolate.

Toasted Cream Recipe (4)

Whether you decide to go low and slow, use a little science to speed things up, or fully transform your cream in a pressure cooker, one method isn’t better than the other. Rather, each produces a different result, suitable for different uses. With these three methods for browning cream added to your repertoire, you can easily upgrade simple recipes with added depth and nuttiness.

January 2018

Recipe Details

Toasted Cream

Active10 mins

Total2 hrs 10 mins

Serves16 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pint heavy cream(16 fluid ounces; 473ml)

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda(optional)

Directions

  1. If Cooking Sous Vide: Preheat a sous vide circulator to 180°F (82°C). In a medium bowl, whisk together cream and baking soda (if using). Place zipper-lock bags or vacuum bags in a tall pitcher or jar to stand them upright, then pour cream into bags. Remove air from zipper-lock bags using the water displacement method, or use a vacuum sealer to seal vacuum bags. Cook for 24 hours. Remove bags of cream and chill in the refrigerator before using.

  2. If Cooking in a Pressure Cooker: In a medium bowl, whisk together cream and baking soda (if using). Divide cream between two 12-ounce Mason jars and screw on tops until just finger-tight. (If the tops are screwed on too tightly, they may break during cooking.) Insert steamer rack into pressure cooker and add 1 inch water. Place jars in pressure cooker, close, and bring to full pressure. Cook at full pressure for 2 hours. Remove cooker from heat and allow to depressurize naturally. Cool cream before using.

Special Equipment

Sous vide circulator or pressure cooker (get our full review), vacuum sealer (for sous vide method; optional)

  • Gluten-free
  • Pressure Cooker
  • Sous Vide
  • Heavy Cream
Toasted Cream Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you use toasted cream? ›

It can be whipped into a topping for juicy summer fruits or splashed into a White Russian for a co*cktail we can all abide by, boldly going where no browned butter has gone before.

Can you thicken single cream? ›

Unfortunately if it is a recipe that requires the cream to be whipped then usually it is not possible as single cream does not have a high enough fat content to whip - it will not hold any air but will eventually turn into butter if you keep whipping it.

How do you use cream in cooking? ›

Cooking cream

Cooking cream's best friends are curries, casseroles, custards, baked desserts, and pasta sauces, and the cream base helps to create smooth textures and gives an added richness. This one-pan creamy chicken tenders recipe is the creamy weeknight dinner you've been, potentially unknowingly, on the hunt for.

What is the cream technique in cooking? ›

What is Creaming Butter and Sugar? Technically, creaming means mixing butter and sugar together on a moderately high speed until well blended, fluffy and pale yellow. It's often the first step in a cookie or cake recipe and forms the base to which other ingredients are added.

Is heavy whipping cream the same as heavy cream? ›

Is Heavy Cream the Same as Heavy Whipping Cream? Yes, heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are the exact same thing. The confusion lies in the fact that they're sold by different brands under two different names.

How to make 2 cups of heavy cream? ›

Use a 1-to-3 ratio of butter and whole milk in your recipe. For every 1 cup (237 mL) of heavy cream your recipe calls for, use 1/4 cup (57 g) of butter and a 34 c (180 mL) of milk. Simply place the butter on your counter and wait for it to become room temperature before stirring it into the whole milk with a whisk.

How do you make your own cream? ›

If you have butter and milk (whole milk or even half-and-half work best), you can make your own heavy cream substitute. To make 1 cup of heavy cream, melt 1/4 cup of butter and slowly whisk in 3/4 cup milk. This works for most baking or cooking recipes that require heavy cream, but it will not whisk into stiff peaks.

Can I turn whole milk into cream? ›

Melt 1/4 cup unsalted butter (that's 4 tablespoons or half a stick) and let it cool to room temperature. Then, whisk it together with 3/4 cup whole milk. This mixture is equivalent to 1 cup of heavy cream and can be used in almost any recipe that calls for heavy cream.

Can you whip milk into cream? ›

While not as thick and creamy as whipped cream made from heavy cream or whole milk, it is possible to make a whipped topping using skim milk. To achieve a thick, airy texture, combine skim milk and cornstarch and whip the mixture using a food processor with an emulsifying disk — a tool you can buy online.

Can you make cream with just milk? ›

If you find yourself without heavy cream but need to substitute it in a recipe that calls for 1 cup of heavy cream, you can use 3/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of melted butter instead. However, it's important to note that this substitute won't whip into soft or stiff peaks regardless of how long you continue to whip it.

What do Americans call single cream? ›

Single cream is a lower fat cream with a fat content of 18-20%. It is sometimes known as "pouring cream" and is mostly used to pour over desserts. In the US there is light cream, which is the closest with a fat content of around 20%.

What cream can you whip? ›

Whipped cream needs cream that has at least 30% fat content. So, heavy cream, whipping cream, heavy whipping cream, and double cream will all work nicely. Milk, half-and-half, and single cream are all much lower in fat content, so they will not whip.

Can you whip up single cream? ›

You can use it for pouring or adding to coffee. Single cream will not whip and will curdle if boiled, so it can't be a substitute in recipes that call for whipping or double cream. Whipping cream has around a 36% fat content, which allows air to be trapped when whipped, roughly doubling the volume.

Do you have to defrost cream before cooking? ›

Anytime you need a bit of cream for a recipe, you've got some on hand, without wasting a whole carton. For hot dishes, you can skip the thawing and just pop these ready-to-go cubes into the pot or pan.

How do you use puck cooking cream? ›

Simply heat Puck Cooking Cream gently and mix it with sugar and your favorite flavors before adding it to the other ingredients. The smooth consistency of Puck Cooking Cream will help create a beautifully creamy and delicious dessert that your family will love.

Can you whip heated cream? ›

At warmer temperatures, that fat starts to soften and the globules collapse, so the cream can't whip up as fully, and it takes longer to reach its maximum (diminished) volume.

Can you beat heated cream? ›

You should be fine, as long as you completely chill it after heating, as well as your beaters and bowl.

References

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