Making Butter

When I joined the group High Hopes in High Heels, I won a free "lunch box" from this great restaurant/market in South Tampa called Datz Deli. They hold these lunch boxes often and what they consist of is a three-course lunch plus a cooking instruction. So yesterday a few friends and my husband joined me at our lunch box where Datz's chef Nikki and cheese expert Travis fed us a delicious three course lunch and showed us how to make fresh mozzarella, ricotta and butter.

As an avid cheese lover this experience was incredible and Datz (it was my first visit) is one of the best places I have ever been. I wish I could work there, no I wish I could live there. Not only can you eat there, drink there and learn something there, you can buy awesome baked goods, cheeses, beers, wine, olive oil, vinegars, honey, pasta, coffee, etc., etc., etc. The owners really have something special going on.

Alright, so cheese and butter making. I never realized how easy it is to make fresh butter. But now that I do, you can be sure I'll be making it all the time now. To make fresh butter, you just take a jar. I'd start out with a small one. Fill it with ultra heavy cream, leaving a little space on the top. You can add a little sea salt if you'd like. Twist the lid on the jar and shake, shake, shake. It takes awhile, so keep shaking until it separates, forming into a solid. I would say it takes about 20 minutes. Your arm will be tired, but trust me, it is soooo worth it.

Our three course lunch consisted of panzanella salad, an easy salad that you can throw just about anything in, but typically it uses old bread, tomato and basil. We also had some of our fresh mozzarella and cucumbers in it. Our second course was a wonderful meat and cheese platter with different cheeses, cured and fresh meats like salami, candied walnuts, olives and various other items. Our final course was a cheese dessert. They took the fresh ricotta we made and served it with fresh blueberries drizzled with a lemon honey. So simple, yet so delicious.

It was such an amazing Saturday afternoon that I won't soon forget. Great friends and great food. Doesn't get much better.