Real Devonshire Cream

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 40, 29 March 1940, Page 45

Real Devonshire Cream

Dear Aunt Daisy, Can you give me the recipe for real Devonshire cream? My husband is from "glorious Devon,’ and is always telling me about the great bowls of clotted cream they used to have on the table at Home. So I would love to surprise him one day.-‘"Wifey,’ (Avondale). Yes, I think I can. The lady who gave me this recipe assures me that it is the way cream is prepared commercially in Devonshire. She herself used to live just outside Torquay. Into a shallow pan put half a gallon of milk, and add to it half a pint of raw cream. The shallow pan must then be stood over another pan or saucepan full of water, and brought to the boil. Allow the water to stand for some time, until the cream rises to the surface, and is a deep straw colour, when it will form a thick crust. Do not stir, and be sure that the boiling water is not sufficient actually to touch the bottom of the pan containing the milk, Remove from the fire to a very cool spot, and leave until quite cold. Then skim off the cream carefully with a proper milkskimmer. If spoontuls of this be dropped upon a dish of junket, and a little nutmeg grated over the top, you will have a delicious and nourishing dessert, and not really expensive. Of course, if you are on a farm, it is a very easily prepared pudding, and splendid for the children. The proportions are one pint of cream to a gallon of milk. Another "Devonshire Lass" sent in her recipe, which was practically the same, except that she says, "Just use the best and richest milk,’ and does not specify the addition of any cream. So do not be discouraged from making the dish if you cannot add any cream; it will still be very good, even if not quite so thick. Do not use less than a gallon of milk though, in that case.