Ghee and clarified butter are wonderful, and give a rich flavour when cooking foods. They can be used where plain butter cannot, since the milk solids have been removed ........ there's less risk of scorchinng at higher heat.
Homemade Ghee
1 pound unsalted butter
Place butter in a saucepan and slowly melt over medium heat. When the butter comes to a gentle boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered and undisturbed for about 30 minutes. As the water content is gradually evaporated, the butter will foam and make crackling noises. The color will initially be a cloudy yellow.
You'll know that ghee is ready when:
- Noise changes from crackling to a boiling sound.
Foaming almost ceases.
Milk solids at the bottom turn from white to tan.
A crusty film forms around the edges of the pan
Immediately remove from the heat --- ghee can easily burn. (If it burns it will begin to rapidly foam again and turn dark brown instead of golden). Cool slightly.
To strain out the milk solids use an ultra-fine stainless steel strainer or cheesecloth. The strained out solids may be used as a flavoring agent. (wonderful in an omelet or scrambled eggs) Makes 1-1/2 cups. I recommend keeping it in the fridge, although some resources say it's fine at room temperature.
per Tbsp (15 ml) - 0g carbs, 0g protein, 13g fat
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** This is how I've made it; many cookbooks will have slight variations to these directions. My general rule of thumb is --- if you think the temperature is too hot, you're right ..
.. Turn it down a notch. It will brown rapidly once it starts ... have the sink filled with cold water, so you can put the pan in it to halt the process. If it's truly burnt and scorched, too bad, throw it out. But, if it's just a light shade of brown ... it's still usable -- the flavour will be quite nutty and pronounced. I like it sort of half-way .. a bit more golden than plain clarified butter, but not completely brown!
enjoy!
Doreen