OLD-FASHIONED BUTTERMILK was originally the liquid that was left over when cream was churned into butter. The leftover liquid would sit around and the natural bacteria in it would cause it to slightly sour. This buttermilk is also what Nordic countries refer to as unrefrigerated sour milk that has not been pasteurized. Today buttermilk made by fermentation is considered extremely healthy because it contains probiotics and bacteria beneficial to the gut.
In the U.S. today you can buy cultured buttermilk in the grocery store. Cultured buttermilk is made from pasteurized cow’s milk, which is inoculated with a lactis culture that ferments the lactose in the milk into lactic acid. This buttermilk can be used as a starter to make more by using 1 part buttermilk to 4 parts whole milk.
You can make your own buttermilk by letting filtered raw milk sit at a warm room temperature for about 12 hours until it clabbers, which means to thicken and curdle. The entire liquid is buttermilk, but if you desire a thicker product you can strain off the thinner liquid and use it for any recipe that requires whey. (Clabber was used in the South as a kind of oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon and also substituted for baking soda in baked goods.)
But note that raw milk is prohibited in some states. If you don’t have access to it, another way to make buttermilk is to use sour milk or to add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup whole or 2 percent milk and let it stand until it curdles (about 15 minutes), and you have your own buttermilk.
MAKES 1½ CUPS / ACTIVE TIME: 25 MIN / TOTAL TIME: 2½ HRS
The gentle sour flavor of buttermilk provides a nice contrast to the punch of horseradish. Make this dressing at least one day before serving and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Use as a dressing in Cabbage Stem Salad with Buttermilk-Horseradish Dressing here; with roasted vegetables such as cauliflower (see Other Ways to Enjoy Cauliflower Scraps here) or grilled leek tops (see Other Ways to Enjoy Leeks here); and for salads, meats, and as a dip.
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons horseradish (I use freshly grated, but bottled is OK)
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and horseradish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours to let the flavors infuse. It will taste a bit sour and spicy at the same time. (If using fresh horseradish, strain the buttermilk and discard the solids.)
In the chilled stainless steel bowl of a mixer, whip the heavy cream until it forms semi-stiff peaks.
To the buttermilk, add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Gently fold in the whipped cream until fully incorporated into the buttermilk.
To serve, freshen with more lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
TRUE WHEY is the thin, yellowy liquid resulting from the separation of curdled milk. You may be familiar with it if you’ve ever made cheese and produced a separated liquid in the process. If you are not planning to become your own fresh cheesemaker and therefore do not have a source for whey or curds, it is still easy to produce curds and whey at home by curdling milk: Heat 4 cups whole milk and ½ teaspoon salt to 165° to 185°F (about 12 minutes at medium-high heat) and add 2 tablespoons vinegar. The milk will curdle and separate into curds and whey. You’ll have about 1 cup solids (curds) and 2½ cups liquids (whey). Use the curds as a substitute for cottage cheese or paneer cheese in any recipe that is not too strict about consistency. The whey can be used to make cocktails (below), in the Brussels Sprout Stems & Leaves recipe (here), or as a substitute for milk in baking recipes.
MAKES 1 COCKTAIL / ACTIVE TIME: 5 MIN / TOTAL TIME: OVERNIGHT
This cocktail creation by bartender Michael Reynolds, owner of the Black Crescent bar in New York City, uses an orange zest–infused whey in a savory, slightly spicy version of a tequila sour. It tastes a little like a spiked version of a Creamsicle.
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Orange Zest Whey (at right)
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) tequila
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) ancho chili liqueur (Ancho Reyes)
¾ ounce (1½ tablespoons) lime juice
Ice
In a cocktail shaker, combine the whey, tequila, liqueur, and lime juice. Add ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds, until the shaker is thoroughly chilled. Strain into a coupe cocktail glass and serve.
MAKES 2 CUPS, enough for 8 cocktails / ACTIVE TIME: 5 MIN / TOTAL TIME: AT LEAST 12 HRS
2 (1-inch-wide) strips orange zest (removed with a vegetable peeler)
2 cups whey (see above)
In a small sealable jar, combine the orange strips and whey. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.
CHEESE RINDS ARE A common leftover after grating blocks of Parmesan, Gruyère, pecorino, or other flavorful hard cheeses. These rinds add delicious but not overpowering flavor to all sorts of dishes.
MAKES 2 CUPS / TIME: 1 HR
This broth is like cheese dashi. The slow simmer allows the rinds to infuse the water with cheesiness. I used it as a base for different soups, for a chawanmushi–style custard replacing the corn dashi in the Corn Kernel Flan (here), and for sauces.
½ pound Parmesan cheese rinds (about 1 cup rinds), broken into 2-inch chunks
4 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Combine the rinds and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 hour, until the liquid is reduced to about 2 cups. Remove the rinds. Add the salt and lemon juice and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
SERVES 4 / ACTIVE TIME: 30 MIN / TOTAL TIME: 24 HRS
This dish uses the Parmesan Rind Broth just as a flavoring, not as a soup. Note: When purchasing fish for carpaccio, tartare, or sushi, tell the grocer that you plan to eat the fish raw, and let him or her recommend the freshest and most suitable fillet available. If the grocer is filleting it for you, ask to have the parts wrapped separately: the fillet, the skin with the underlayer of fat still clinging to it (for grilling), and the head and tail for the recipes here. They might even have the scales for the recipe here.
½ cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dill seeds
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
1 pound very fresh whitefish fillet (haddock, fluke, snapper, or sustainable cod)
Pickled Green Almonds (here)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons Parmesan Rind Broth (here)
Drizzle of grapeseed oil
Edible flowers (optional)
In a small bowl, mix the salt with the peppercorns, all the seeds, the rosemary, and thyme. Spread evenly over the fillet, massaging the mix into the flesh; turn over and spread over the other side. Wrap with plastic wrap on a dish and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Completely wipe the salt from the fillet but don’t rinse.
With a sharp knife, slice the fillet very thinly so the pieces look almost translucent, being sure to cut on the bias and against the grain.
Top the slices of fillet with a few slices of pickled almonds and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with the lemon juice, Parmesan broth, and grapeseed oil. Scatter with small edible flowers if you like.