Buttermilk It, Baby

"A quarrel is like buttermilk, once it's out of the churn; the more you shake it, the more sour it grows." - Irish saying



Though a quarrel is a possibility during today's book group discussion, buttermilk is a certainty. Periodically I find myself reaching for that carton of buttermilk at the grocery store, and, more often than not, I find myself in a panic as the expiration date looms near. What should I do with that buttermilk?

The latest impetus to bring home the buttermilk was spurred on by my recent reading of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Yes, Meryl Streep's performance did entice my husband to give me the boxed set for Christmas, and yes, I have loved the cookbooks. Julia Child provides a recipe for preparing creme fraiche that involves leaving heavy whipping cream to ferment with a bit of buttermilk. I have no cream left to ferment, but plenty of buttermilk reaching it's demise.

I took to the Internet and learned more than I expected about the sour tenant in my refrigerator. The Irish lore tells of buttermilk's ability to cure a hangover. Hmmm- not sure a thick glass of sour milk would do wonders for me after being a bit overserved (except that it might force the voiding of any traces of tequila left in my system.) If simmered with garlic, the Irish also tell that buttermilk can cure many other ailments. If any of you out there are brave enough to try this one, let me know. I'm not quite there yet. American pioneer lore follows us right into the new century giving buttermilk skin softening qualities. I confess, I've been known to buy baby buttermilk bath products from well marketed cosmetic companies. Today, I'm performing a buttermilk cook-a-thon including buttermilk pound cake and buttermilk dip. What a lucky book group I have!

So, lovely reader, you have an assignment. If not tonight then some time in the near future, you must dust off those fabulous aprons, put on your pearls, and make that special someone an old-fashioned treat. There is truth linking hearts and stomachs. If you find yourself without buttermilk, the solution is easy: measure out regular milk to the recipe specifications, then add a couple tablespoons of vinegar to it. Within a couple of minutes you'll see the milk get lumpy. Culinary technicians have a term for this- blooming. Let that milk bloom, and while you're at it, let yourself bloom too.


Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pound Cake

1/2 C butter

1/2 C shortening

2 C sugar

5 Eggs

1 1/2 ts Vanilla

3 C White Flour

1/2 ts salt

1/2 ts baking powder

1/2 ts baking soda

1 C Buttermilk


Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. Cream butter, shortening and sugar together in mixing bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla. Sift Flour, salt, powder and soda together. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, turn out on wire rack and cool completely.