I MADE BUTTER!

OK, here are some food challenges when you live in a new place.

Most things are written in another language.
Unfamiliarity with the local foods.
Ignorance regarding the things we take for granted....what is buttermilk?

So I sit here today at my island with my computer at hand. My research is "dairy".

In front of me is
-whipping cream
-cooking cream
-thick cream (from France)
-light cream (also from France)
-Yoghurt
-Labneh
-cream cheese
-mascarpone cheese

What I cannot find in the store
-buttermilk
-sour cream

So after researching and taste testing, even the more familiar items, here's what I learned......

Yoghurt (as it is spelled here) - is the fermentation of Lactose to lactic acid causing it's "tangy" flavor.

Labneh - a VERY POPULAR local dairy product that no one can explain what it is. This is STRAINED YOGURT. It tastes a little like cream cheese with a little "twang" at the end

Cream Chesse (Philadelphia Brand!!) - sweet, soft and mild tasting.

Mascarpone - a favorite ingredient of Gilda de Laurentis. It a "triple cream cheese" according to Wikipedia. It has much LESS flavor than cream cheese.

Buttermilk - is NOT made from butter!! - There are 2 ways to make it..
1 - a little less than 1 cup milk plus 1 Tablespoon white vinegar and let stand 5 minutes
2 - Whipping cream - beat until you have butter and butter milk! So that's what I did and I made BUTTER!! AND BUTTERMILK!! WHOOO HOOO!! That's a first for me!

Cream Fraiche - (means fresh cream in French) This is the expensive French version of sour cream with some added benefits - you can whip it, cook with it and it won't separate or curdle the way sour cream does. It's "easy" to make, according to a chef from "About.com" You take 2 cups heavy cream add 3 Tablespoons buttermilk (which I now have since I made butter and buttermilk!!) and you put it in a glass jar (I don't have a glass jar!) leave it out for 24 hrs stirring occasionally, then put it in refrigerator for 24 hrs and it should get thick.

Sour cream - This was something we didn't have in Africa either and I remember mixing cream with white vinegar and it was just fine. I found another recipe that calls for 1 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup buttermilk. Let stand for 24 hours. Sounds like the recipe for Cream Fraiche. I think I'll stick with the version from Africa.