New Obsession: Clotted 'Devonshire' Cream

Clotted cream is produced commercially in Devon Cornwall and Somerset England. It is a thick, rich cream with a scalded flavor created by heating unpasteurized milk until a layer of cream forms on the surface. The milk is cooled and the layer of cream is skimmed off, bottled, and sold.

I first heard of clotted cream in high school when I read romantic novels from the Victorian era of England. The ladies of finery would enjoy their tea time with scones and clotted cream. I’ve always wondered what the cream tasted like since I first read of it. Recently, Ina Garten hosted a tea party episode (Barefoot Contessa from Food Network), and a viewer inquired where you could buy clotted cream in the states as they had just returned from visiting England and fell in love with it there. At the time, Ina referred them to Mascarpone cheese because clotted cream wasn’t available in the states. A couple weeks ago I was shopping at the grocery store... lo and behold I found clotted cream in the specialty cheese section! I couldn't believe clotted cream was at Hy-Vee. I was so excited to get home and try it; I tossed two jars in the cart and raced for the check out line. If you have never had it, it tastes like a luxurious buttery cream cheese – super thick! Yum!

  

Traditional fare for tea time:

  
Cream Tea - Tea, scones, jam and cream
Light Tea - Tea, scones and sweets
Full Tea - Tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert

  

Savories - Tiny sandwiches or appetizers
Scones - Served with jam and Devonshire or clotted cream
Pastries - Cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets
 

My sophisticated Primal fare version:

The best Primal way to indulge in this heavenly fluff is to add a little honey to the cream. Slice up some strawberries, grab a handful of blueberries/raspberries/blackberries and enjoy! A perfect summer dessert that is healthy (for Primal folk) and decadent. Hey, any "diet" where I can go through a 6 ounce jar/week and still maintain/lose weight is a thumbs up in my book. I love a healthy lifestyle where you're eating delicious and seemingly sinful food, but it all fits on the meal plan and you feel the amazing benefits every day.

Have you ever had clotted cream? What is your food obsession at the moment?

Krista