Clotted Cream

Clotted cream is a thick cream made by heating full-cream cow's milk with steam or a water bath and letting it cool slowly, a process in which cream rises to the surface and forms the clots, or clouts, that give the product its name; it must contain a minimum of 55 percent butterfat, averaging 64 percent. Traditional production strained fresh milk, let it stand in shallow pans for the cream to rise, then heated it over hot cinders or in a water bath before slow cooling, while modern producers use the float cream or scald cream methods, both scalding layers of cream in shallow trays with steam or hot water. Though its precise origin is uncertain, it is strongly associated with southwestern England, especially Devon and Cornwall, where Rodda's, the largest UK commercial producer, can make up to 25 tons a day; Cornish clotted cream received European Union Protected Designation of Origin status in 1998, requiring Cornish milk and a minimum 55 percent fat content. It is best known as the centerpiece of a cream tea spread on scones with jam, and also appears in desserts, ice cream, fudge and savory dishes, with Devon spreading cream before jam and Cornwall reversing the order.