Have you tried Irish butter?
BY NICOLE MARSHALL MIDDLETON World Scene Writer
Thursday, March 07, 2013
3/07/13 at 3:01 AM
It's like butter but better.
Irish butter is a European-style butter that has a higher butterfat content than the average American butter.
It also has a unique flavor and color that comes from the Irish countryside. Kerrygold, one of the best-known producers of Irish butter, says that the cows that make the cream for the butter eat from the lush fields rather than eating dry grain.
The golden color of the butter results from the beta carotene in the fresh grass, according to Kerrygold.
Because Irish butter has more butterfat, it comes to room temperature more quickly. So you don't have to wait long to smear it on a piece of quality bread.
With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, this might be a good time to try Irish butter. Most grocery stores carry it in their dairy sections.
In Ireland, butter has a rich history. There is even a museum there dedicated to butter.
The Cork Butter Museum describes the butter trade and the traditional craft of home butter making. In the Middle Ages, butter was used to pay taxes and was buried in peat bogs for preservation. On occasion, stashes of "bog butter" are still found.
Here is a recipe that will showcase the butter.
IRISH BUTTER SHORTBREAD
Makes 2 dozen
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsalted Irish butter (Kerrygold)
1/2 cup extra fine granulated sugar
1 lemon, zested
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Take butter out of the fridge for about 15 minutes before making this. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar slowly.
3. Using a microplane, zest a whole lemon. Add the lemon zest to the flour. Add the flour and lemon zest to the butter mixture a little at a time. Don't rush the dough.
4. When it becomes a ball, turn it out onto a floured surface. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness, dusting the rolling pin as necessary to prevent sticking.
5. Cut shortbread with a cutter (a 2 1/4-inch round fluted cutter was suggested but not required).
6. Place the baking sheet with shortbreads in the oven and bake until shortbreads just begin to turn golden (about 20-25 minutes - times will vary for different ovens).
7. Cool them on the baking sheet for a few minutes and transfer to a wire cookie rack.
- adapted from Fo0d52
Original Print Headline: Have you tried ... irish butter
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