Raw Milk question

[susanky]

I am fortunate enough to have a supply of raw milk from a few Jersey cows.  If I don't go get it, it goes to the hogs.  Of course they have alot of 'cream'.  But I'm not sure exactly what that means.  If a recipe calls for 'heavy cream' is that what I'm skimming off?  If a recipe calls for heavy cream and half and half (ice cream), can I just use the straight skimmed cream for all of it?  Does it depend on how long it sits first?  It certainly can get thicker.  One of the cows has much more cream in her milk.  Sometimes I just get hers.   I skim about a quart per gallon.  But I'm not sure exactly how to use it.  But love experimenting with it!

[MrsKK]

When my cow's milk sits for about a day, the very top of the cream is so thick I have to use a spatula (or my finger - LICK! YUM!!!) to get the cream off of the ladle.  That is heavy cream.  Then there is a layer between that really thick stuff and the milk - light cream which to me is comparable to half and half.

If I only use the heavy cream for making butter, I get tremendous yields and very little buttermilk.  And, yes, you can use all of the cream for making ice cream.

Mascarpone is an excellent cheese to make with cream, then of course you have to make Tiramisu to use the Mascarpone.  Diet out the window!  But your tastebuds will know what heaven tastes like!

[ConnieG]

Oh, Tirimisu!  Now you've done it! 

[Brentsbox]

Oh, Tirimisu!  Now you've done it! 

Im not a desert person but I love to cook.  So, I had to go see what all the fuss was over and I have to say,  Tiramisu looks and sounds great!  I have 5 gallons of raw milk in the refrigerator and am tempted to pull off all the heavy cream.  That would give me almost 1 gallon of heavy cream.  Ive never made mascarpone but this might give me a good excuse.   

[susanky]

I've had taramisu and do not recall being impressed.  Maybe it is time to try again.  And I'm sure it wasn't with fresh cheese!  '

I notice if the milk isn't cooled immediately cream separates thicker and faster.  But now we put it immediately on ice.  I have skimmed off that cream thick as yogurt (before we were cooling so agressively).  But when you buy heavy cream in the store it is not that thick.  What gives?

[DeejayDebi]

One thing I've noticed is the cream doesn't seem to separate at room temperature. It really has to be cold to get the separation between the heavy cream and the light cream. Always seeems weird that the heavy cream floats.

[MrsKK]

The heavy cream floats because it is the butter fat - fat floats!

The "heavy" cream in the store is much lower in fat than what we skim off the cow, plus it is pasturized and homogenized, which makes it a whole different substance.  I think they add other stuff to it, too, to stabilize it or whatever.

[DeejayDebi]

True - makes me wonder then why I can't swim? LOL

[Brentsbox]

True - makes me wonder then why I can't swim? LOL

Thats a good one

[MrsKK]

When my dad was about 55, he forgot to set the parking brake on his car when he went fishing.  It rolled into the lake and he had run after it, hoping to be able to get in and get it stopped or even started so he could get it back out.  No good, he had to call the tow truck.

Rather than a second person get wet, Dad said he would hook the car up.  Drat his belly! he said - he just kept bobbing back up!

[DeejayDebi]

LOL Good story.