Smen

Makes about ½ cup (110 g)

The cream and yogurt are cultured overnight before churning; the butter ages for 2 to 3 days before clarifying. The smen will keep in the refrigerator or in a cool cupboard for up to 4 years.

Aged clarified butter, or smen, is a “quintessentially Moroccan ingredient,” Paula wrote in The Food of Morocco. It lends dishes a subtle meatiness, a little like miso. This is Paula’s recipe for the ultimate traditional version: first you culture cream to make butter, then you clarify the butter, and finally you strain and age it. To rid the butter of all milk solids, which can cause it to go rancid, the clarified butter is is carefully strained through cheesecloth before aging. For a faster version, purchase some clarified butter, transfer it to a clean crock with a lid, cover it, and let it age in a cool, dark cupboard.

3 cups (720 ml) heavy cream, preferably organic

2 tablespoons whole-milk plain yogurt (goat’s, sheep’s or cow’s milk)

¾ cup (180 ml) water, chilled with a few ice cubes

2 teaspoons flaky sea salt

In a bowl, whisk together the cream and yogurt. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand overnight at room temperature to culture.

The next day, pour the cultured cream into a food processor and process until the butter solids start to form a ball and throw off the buttermilk, 15 to 25 seconds. Pulse a few more times to help throw off additional liquid.

Set a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Pour the buttermilk through the sieve, leaving the butter behind in the bowl of the processor. Reserve the buttermilk for another use, such as for serving with Tunisian couscous (here). Return any butter solids from the sieve to the food processor.

To rinse the butter, drizzle about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the ice water over the butter and pulse two or three times. Pour off and discard the liquid. Repeat two more times, using about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) ice water each time. The water should run nearly clear. If it doesn’t, repeat one more time.

Line a work surface with a kitchen towel. Transfer the butter to the towel and knead the butter with your hands to remove any excess moisture. Transfer the butter to a sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle on the salt, and continue to knead until the salt is evenly incorporated.

Line a large platter or sheet pan with a fresh kitchen towel. Divide the butter into 6 equal pieces. Press each portion into a round ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Arrange the butter rounds side by side on the towel-lined platter. Cover the rounds with another fresh kitchen towel and let ripen in a cool, dark place for 2 to 3 days.

To clarify the butter, set the rounds in a small, heavy saucepan over very low heat. Allow the butter to melt slowly, without stirring and without browning. Skim off any foam as it bubbles to the surface. When the butter is golden and clear, remove it from the heat and let stand until cool.

Dampen two layers of cheesecloth or one layer of muslin and drape them over a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Carefully ladle the butter through the lined sieve, leaving behind any white sediment at the bottom of the pan. Line the sieve with a fresh double layer of dampened cheesecloth or muslin, place over a clean bowl, and strain the butter a second time (the smen must be absolutely clear).

Pour the clarified butter into a clean glass jar or earthenware vessel with a tight-fitting lid, cover, and store in a cool, dark place at room temperature for 1 month before opening. Store in a cool cupboard or the refrigerator after opening. Over time the butter will take on an increasingly grainy texture and meaty flavor.

NOTE If any dark spots appear while the butter ages, the butter has spoiled and must be discarded.