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While it would be a stretch to say Clotted Cream is practically butter (butter has 80% butterfat and up, while Clotted Cream is "only" 55% butterfat), it is a thick, spreadable cream with the consistency of soft butter and has a pale, buttery colour. Its taste lies somewhere in between whipped cream and unsalted butter.

It was originally made in the Cornwall, Devon and Somerset areas of England from cream that was heated to evaporate the liquids, and then scalded to produce the golden crust typical of Clotted Cream on top. The texture is somewhat granular and the taste somewhat "nutty." The milk needs to be unpasteurized at the beginning for this to work.

It can't be used for cooking as it will separate when heated. It is meant to be served as a topping on scones or soft biscuits, a filling for cream cakes and buns, a garnish for fruit pies, or a foil for fresh fruit.

You won't want to go crazy eating it, because you can almost feel your artery passages thicken as you eat it, but enjoy it from time to time. It is now available is some stores in North America.

Cornish Clotted Cream now has PDO status in Europe.

On the 4 April 2008, intentions to award Cornish Clotted Cream the higher Protected Geographical Status were published in the European Union Journal. Barring no objections from other EU member states, the status would be official on 4 October 2008.

Cooking Tips
Don't try to cook with it. You can use it as a filling for cakes or buns after they are baked.

Substitutes
Whipped cream -- it won't give you the same taste, but people will enjoy the whipped cream as a treat in itself. Or make a cream filling.

Greek Yoghurt and Mascarpone have completely different tastes, of course, but they are spreadable and will stay in place.

Nutrition
Why even pretend?

Storage
Consume by the use-by date. Some people report that they have frozen it with success for up to 1 month; others report that it hasn't been worth using for them after freezing.

Literature & Lore
How to make your ordinary clouted-Cream: Take a quantity of Milk from the Cow, and put it into a broad Earthen-pan, and set it over a slow fire, letting it stand there from morning to night, suffering it not to boil by any means; then take it off the fire, and set it in some place all night to cool, in the morning dish off your Cream, for it will be very thick. Hannah Woolley. The Gentlewomans Companion. London. 1673.

Acknowlegements

Also called:

See Also:

Protected Designation of Origin

Other entries for:

Cream
Aerosol Cream, Chantilly Cream, Clabber Cream, Clotted Cream, Coffee Cream, Crema Agria, Crème Fraîche, Double Cream, Extra Thick Double Cream, Extra Thick Single Cream, Frozen Whip Topping, Half & Half Cream, Heavy Cream, Ice Cream, Light Whipping Cream, Non-Dairy Creamer, Single Cream, Sour Cream, Whipping Cream

Other entries for:

Milk
Buttermilk, Clabbered Milk, Crème de Brebis, Evaporated Milk, Goat's Milk, Gold Top Milk, Kefir, Koumiss, Powdered Milk, Raw Milk, Whey, Yoghurt

Other entries for:

Dairy
Butterfat, Butter, Cheese, Nondairy Topping