"We arrived back in time for afternoon tea... It was a superb reward for our day's wet outing, and I gathered that Mrs. Elliott had taken advantage of the Harpers' presence to create a true Devonshire tea, the piece de resistance of which was a plate piled high with crumbly scones to rival Mrs. Hudson's, a bowl of thick, yellow clotted cream, and a second bowl containing deep red strawberry jam."
-Mary Russell, MOOR

Devonshire or Clotted Cream

Contributed by Irene Henry on Jan. 20, 1998

In winter, let fresh cream stand 12 hours; in summer, about 6 hours, in a heatproof dish. Put the cream on to heat--or on the back of a peat or well-insulated iron coal stove--the slower the heat the better. It must never boil, as this will coagulate the albumen and ruin everything. When small rings or undulations form on the surface, the cream is sufficiently scalded. Remove at once from heat and store in a cold place for 12 hours. Then skim the thick, clotted cream and serve it very cold, as a garnish for berries. (Joy of Cooking, 1973 ed.).
Comment from Karen Welbourn:

Clotted cream really is better than the recipe made it sound. In my experience, it has a consistency and taste somewhere between whipped cream and whipped butter, and it is the perfect foil for the jam it usually accompanies at tea-time (spread a little of each on your scone, pour a cup of steaming Earl Grey--I take mine black, like Capt. Picard does--and . . . well, I'm sure there are cream teas in Heaven!). In my part of the US, you can actually buy jars of Devonshire clotted cream in the "international cheeses" section of gourmet-type grocery stores.



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