Creamy Question

[SeanD]

I made cream for the first time today. What a workout! Aside from my arm about to fall off, it came out pretty good. For the first hour of stirring, nothing really happened and I was questioning myself, then things loosened up and the color came along. In the end it seems like it's the right color and consistency, but after an hour and 45 min. of stirring, it never really lost all of the shininess. Should it be completely flat when it is done? It seemed like it was starting to thicken up too much so I called it quits. Can it be over stirred?

Here's a picture of it just before I stopped stirring.

5483

Sean

[maple marc]

Sean, that cream looks good. Ideally it starts to look more like paste, but maybe with a little sheen. That's a workout by hand! I would try a couple of things. First, try to locate a Kitchenaide mixer, the bigger the better. If you're only doing small batches--a quart or two at a time--it will handle it. Use the wisk to speed things along. It will take only 20 minutes. Also, let it rest for a minute or two every 5 minutes. This will speed up the crystal formation. You'll be amazed when you stop stirring at the end how quickly it will set up before you jar it. Let us know how you do. Good luck.

Marc

[SeanD]

Marc, thanks for the tips. I wondered if a Kitchenaide mixer would work. I don't have one, but every so often we come across one on sale and wonder if it would be worth while. They have their own special bowl right? Do you boil and cool the syrup right in that bowl or do you transfer it? If I transfer it while it is hot, will that mess up how it sets up? When it was cool, it was practically solid when I first started to stir.

Sean

[SWEETER CREATIONS]

SEAN : If you pour it while its hot crystals form immediately and turn the cream like sand. Cool the cream to 70 degrees then transfer to kitchenaide. Only do small batches of quart or so because mixer will take a beating.