Ghee! I Love It!

I recently did a post on the wonderful Paleo Tibetan Tea Latte, and one of the ingredients I used in it was ghee. Ghee has enriched my life so much, and I was really reluctant for a long time to try making it.

Ghee is alternatively known as clarified butter, and the process removes the milk proteins from the fat, meaning that dairy sensitive people like me can sometimes use ghee when they are unable to use butter. I am very dairy sensitive, but so far I have been able to use ghee with no problem!

I will say that the process is made much easier and CHEAPER by my Costco membership. It takes a lot of butter to make a large mason jar full of ghee, and the Kerrygold Irish butter is much cheaper bought in a box of three bricks at Costco. I recommend the Kerrygold butter because it is grass-fed and hormone and antibiotic free. Also, there is much more fat and fewer milk proteins in the Irish butter, so it makes better ghee. Without further ado, here is my recipe.

Ingredients

Kerrygold Irish butter

Implements

small soup pot

cheesecloth or closely woven cotton cloth

kitchen strainer

large mason jar

Instructions

I put 6 bricks of the Kerrygold butter in the soup pot, each brick cut into fourths. I put the soup pot on the gas range on medium-high heat. I then watch the butter melt, start to bubble, and then I can see the white milk protein separate from the golden butterfat.

The milk protein will mostly drop to the bottom of the soup pot. Some will form a white froth on the top of the butterfat. You want the ghee to be on a simmer, with the occasional boil bubble. Almost at the boil but not quite. This process may take longer or shorter depending on if you have an electric or gas range. With a gas range, it should take between 5-10 minutes, with an electric range it may take up to 15-18 minutes.

At this point you remove the ghee from the heat. The next step is filtering out as much of the milk protein as you can and pour the ghee into the mason jar. I would line the kitchen strainer with cheesecloth or a closely woven cotton drying cloth.

Skim the white froth at the top of the soup pot off, using a large spoon. I use a serving spoon. Discard the froth. Then, nestle the lined kitchen strainer on top of the mouth of the mason jar, and start slowly pouring the ghee through the strainer into the mason jar. The lined strainer should catch the residual froth of the milk protein and allow the butterfat through. You will probably need to rinse the cotton drying cloth or cheesecloth with very hot water several times during this process, otherwise the residual milk protein will significantly slow the passage of the butterfat through the cheesecloth filter. The white liquid at the bottom of the soup pot will be discarded and not poured through the filter. This is the best way to minimize the presence of white milk protein in your finished ghee.

When that process is done, wash your dishes and screw the airtight lid onto your mason jar of ghee. Place the ghee in the refrigerator to solidify for several hours. This will set the ghee, so that when you store it on your counter it will remain in a solid state.

This ghee is wonderful in the Paleo Tibetan Tea Latte, while it should be okay for some people who have dairy sensitivities.

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