From the Kitchen

Everything you wanted to know about Buttermilk but were afraid to ask

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Local Buttermilk - Five Acre Farms

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day which means you need to bake a delicious Soda Bread and locate some green clothes. What makes soda bread rise is not yeast, rather it’s the reaction between the acids in buttermilk and the basic compounds in baking soda… Science! (learn more here)

Here’s a list of frequently asked questions and answers related to our locally made buttermilk

What is Buttermilk?

Our buttermilk is an unsalted cultured milk drink made by adding four live and active cultures to the best local whole milk.

Where does the milk for your Buttermilk come from?

To make our buttermilk, Sunrise Family Farms sources fresh, creamy milk from 10 local dairy farms.

Who makes Five Acre Farms Buttermilk?

Each batch of Five Acre Farms Local Buttermilk is made at Sunrise Family Farms in Norwich, New York.

How is Buttermilk made?

We add four live and active cultures to fresh, creamy whole milk. During the culturing process, some of the milk sugar lactose changes to lactic acid, making the milk more acidic, which gives the buttermilk its characteristic tart flavor. Milk proteins (primarily casein) are not soluble under acidic conditions and precipitate, making buttermilk thicker than regular milk.

Which cultures are added to Five Acre Farms Buttermilk?

We add four live and active cultures: lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis and leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris.

What are the best uses of Buttermilk?

Our buttermilk, naturally loaded with calcium, riboflavin, potassium, and vitamin B12, is a healthy choice to drink straight, and it’s excellent for baking and cooking. Try it as a tangy base for soups, salad dressings, and marinades and as a coating before frying or baking poultry and fish.

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

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Photo by dinneratthezoo.com

Now that’ you’ve perfected your Sourdough, it’s time to bake some Irish Soda Bread. This classic recipe we found at dinneratthezoo features of course: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk.

Why we love this recipe: Click Here To View Recipe

  • 1 hour from start to finish
  • Enjoyable read and clear instructions for great results
  • The recipe widget lets you adjust servings needed and calculates ingredient amounts

(photo by dinneratthezoo)

How buttermilk makes this Nashville Hot Chicken sing

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nashville hot fried chicken

If you didn’t know already, buttermilk is a crucial ingredient in southern fried chicken. It’s the acids in buttermilk which tenderize the chicken by breaking down the proteins in the meat prior to cooking. We were reminded of this delicious fact when we tried this Nashville Hot Chicken recipe on Southern Kitchen. The recipe is simple to follow and the results are Deeeeeelicious!

Nashville Hot Chicken

Serves: 4
Hands On Time: Total Time: 

Ingredients

Seasoned Flour
8 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup garlic powder
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder

Hot Chicken
4 cups buttermilk (Five Acre Farms Buttermilk)
1/2 cup hot sauce
1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Vegetable shortening or peanut oil, for frying
5 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

To make the flour: In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined. Pour the flour mixture into a heavy duty brown paper bag and reserve for frying.

To make the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce. Add the chicken and submerge in the buttermilk mixture. Transfer to the refrigerator and marinate for 4 hours.

When ready to fry, remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture, allowing any excess to drain off. Place the chicken in the bag with the flour. Clasp the bag at the top and vigorously shake to completely coat chicken with flour. Remove chicken from the bag, tap off excess flour, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with a wire rack. Let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

As the chicken is resting, fill a large cast iron skillet one-third of the way up the sides with melted shortening or peanut oil. Heat the oil to 340 degrees.

When the oil is hot, add the legs and the thighs first, placing them around the sides of the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes before adding the breasts and wings. Use a wire splatter screen to prevent excess grease from adhering to your kitchen surfaces. Cook until the chicken is golden brown and crisp on both sides and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean baking sheet lined with a clean wire rack. Reserve 1 cup of the frying oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cayenne, brown sugar, paprika, chili powder and garlic powder. Carefully whisk in the reserved frying oil until a loose paste has formed. With a pastry brush, coat the surface of the fried chicken chicken with the sauce and serve hot.

The Best Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe (So far)

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Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

 

We have been baking at home A LOT and like you, we’re always looking for great recipes. Well, we found what we believe is the best Buttermilk Biscuit recipe on the internets. We’ve provided the ingredients, steps and a helpful video from the recipe creator: Sally’s Baking Addiction

Six Ingredients:

  1. All-purpose Flour
  2. Baking Powder
  3. Salt
  4. Cold Butter
  5. Cold Buttermilk – Try Five Acre Farms Buttermilk 🙂
  6. Honey

We recommend you watch the video and then follow the full recipe at Sally’s Baking Addiction

From the KITCHEN: SUMMER VEGETABLE SALAD WITH LENTILS AND FIVE ACRE FARMS HONEY KEFIR

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From the KITCHEN:

SUMMER VEGETABLE SALAD WITH LENTILS AND FIVE ACRE FARMS HONEY KEFIR

Vegetable Salad with Lentils and Honey

This recipe is more about the idea and less about which specific vegetables, lettuces or edible flowers you decide to use. It combines varying textures from the vegetables; smooth, refined and delicate sweet richness from the kefir; a wonderful balance of subtle heat from the jalapeno pepper; flavorful greens and strong meatiness from the lentils. I add a wonderful extra virgin olive oil and enough acid and salt to properly season all of this. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pint of summer tomatoes, assorted sizes and colors
• 1 pint of summer tomatoes, assorted sizes and colors
• ¼ cup beluga lentils, raw
• ½ cup Five Acre Farms Local Honey Kefir
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• ½ tsp kosher salt or fleur de sel
• 1 cup sliced cucumber

• 2 tbsp fresh marigold flower petals
• 1 jalapeno pepper (12 thin (1/16”) slices of jalapeno pepper, seeds included)
• 1 radish
• 6 asparagus stalks
• 8 green beans
• 1 cup of assorted local greens, whichever you desire (pea shoots, spinach, small basil leaves and celery leaves)

1. To cook lentils, simmer them in 2 cups of water with 1 tbsp salt until just cooked through and drain and cool. Set aside.

1. To cook lentils, simmer them in 2 cups of water with 1 tbsp salt until just cooked through and drain and cool. Set aside.

2. Wash all vegetables and cut them into desired shapes. Not all things should or need to be cut equally. Both larger and smaller chunks of tomatoes are nice to have.

3. Shave the radishes and jalapeno peppers thin enough (1/16”).

4. Blanch asparagus in boiling salted water for 15 seconds. Allow to cool before cutting into two-inch pieces.

5. Wash and dry greens with absorbent towels.

6. Drizzle a copious amount of honey kefir on your individual plates or serving platter. Separately, in a mixing bowl, add all of your greens, veggies, salt, half of the vinegar and half of the olive oil and carefully mix to incorporate and taste. Adjust the seasoning if you think it needs more of anything. In a separate bowl, add additional seasoning of oil, salt and vinegar to the lentils.

7. Carefully (or less carefully) assemble your dish to your desired effect.

8. Add on the marigold flowers last because they are incredibly delicate.

John Karangis, Chef
JOHN KARANGIS — Executive Chef, Union Square Events

Early in his career while studying Fine Dining Management, John recognized his passion for cooking and was accepted as a culinary student under Chef Andre Daguin and Chef Yves Pinard in Paris. Upon returning to the United States, John landed a job in the kitchen at UNION SQUARE CAFE under Chef Michael Romano, where he cooked for three years. From there, he worked in some of the most acclaimed kitchens on the West Coast and in New York, including GRAMERCY TAVERN and SQUARE ONE in San Francisco. He then accepted the role of Executive Chef at RESTAURANT ASSOCIATES, and later at GOLDMAN SACHS, delivering world class dining and hospitality to an elite clientele. Returning to the culinary roots where his career began, today John brings his passion for excellence and hospitality to the UNION SQUARE EVENTS team.

KEFIR MOUSSE — by Erin Kanagy-Loux of Reynard

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Five Acre Farms

From the KITCHEN:

KEFIR MOUSSE — by Erin Kanagy-Loux of Reynard

Erin Kanagy-Loux

ERIN KANAGY-LOUX

Erin is the Executive Pastry Chef at REYNARD at Brooklyn’s WYTHE HOTEL. Happily for the sweet tooth, she has discovered a delicious home for FIVE ACRE FARMS local dairy products and cage free eggs in her inventive desserts, among them the Kefir Mousse she shares here. Growing up, Erin learned to love texture and technique baking with her grandmother and cooking with her father. A veteran of the teaching kitchen, she has taught baking and pastry at WESTERN CULINARY INSTITUTE, the CALIFORNIA CULINARY ACADEMY and the FRENCH CULINARY INSTITUTE (now the International Culinary Center). She joined the opening team at REYNARD in 2012.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 TBS Powdered Gelatin
• 3 1/2 TBS Water (cold)
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 3 1/2 oz Five Acre Farms Plain Kefir
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 9 oz Five Acre Farms Plain Kefir

• 2 tsp Lemon Juice (fresh)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 25 oz Heavy Cream
•1/8 tsp Citric Acid (optional, elevates kefir flavor)
• 3/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt

1. Bloom gelatin in cold water by evenly sprinkling gelatin over the surface of the cold water, and let the powder sink into the water to hydrate. Don’t dump into water as a clump or the gelatin will not rehydrate properly. Let stand for 5 minutes to fully bloom.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and find a metal bowl that fits just over the top and traps the steam below.

3. Using that bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar, 3 1/2 oz portion of kefir and the bloomed gelatin.

4. When pot has come to a boil, turn heat off. Place your yolk mixture bowl over top of the steaming pot and begin to whisk.

5. Whisk this mixture until it has become frothy, lighter in color and when you draw the foam on top of itself, it holds on the surface for 3 seconds.

6. Once your yolk mixture has come to a ribbon, remove from heat and transfer to a clean bowl.

7. Let this mixture sit while whipping the heavy cream to billowy, firm peaks.

8. Gently whisk remaining 9 oz kefir, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt and citric acid into cooling yolk ribbon.

9. Once kefir mix is homogenous, gently fold in whipped cream.

10. Pour mousse into serving vessels and chill minimum 4 hours or overnight.

SLOW ROAST PORK SHOULDER with CIDER AND SPICES – by Frances Boswell

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Five Acre Farms

From the KITCHEN:

SLOW ROAST PORK SHOULDER with CIDER AND SPICES — by Frances Boswell


Frances Boswell

Our friend Frances Boswell is one part of the talented pair behind Kitchen Repertoire. On their blog, Frances, a food editor and stylist, and Dana Gallagher, a photographer and creative director, share their love of food, cooking and visual story telling and offer culinary inspiration from everyday life.

Learn more about Frances and Dana and discover new recipes at kitchen-repertoire.com.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamon seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons sea salt

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Pork shoulder about 5 pounds
• Several sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 large onions, thickly sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into large chunks
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• A few cloves garlic
• 3 crisp apples

Combine cumin, peppercorns, coriander, cardamon, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and nutmeg in a spice grinder and work to a powder. Brush pork with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season well with spices, salt and some fresh thyme. Refrigerate about 1 hour.

Heat oven to 425º. Strew bottom of dutch oven with onion, carrots and garlic to create a bed for pork. Add cider. Set the pork shoulder, fat side up, over vegetables and cider and place in oven. Roast until top of meat is golden brown and crisp, about 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 300º, cover dutch oven and continue cooking another 6 hours. The meat should be very tender and easily fall from the bone. With about 1 1/2 hours left to go, halve and core fruit. Toss with remaining tablespoon olive oil, fresh thyme and a pinch of sea salt. Arrange apples, cut side up, on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in oven (on a rack below meat) and roast until meat has finished cooking. Remove meat and apples from oven. Shred meat from bone and serve alongside apples.

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