Johannesburg - Buttermilk is traditionally a by-product of butter-making – the liquid that is left over after butter is churned from cream.
It is now made commercially by adding a bacterial culture to skimmed milk. It has a slightly sour, acidic taste and is ideal to use for baking and cooking.
It gives baked products a lovely soft texture and helps neutralise the aftertaste of baking powder in scones.
When combined with bicarbonate of soda, it creates carbon dioxide that lightens the dough. Rusks just wouldn’t be the same without buttermilk, as many a South African living overseas has discovered.
Baking with buttermilk gives excellent results to cakes, crumpets, muffins and the like, and it also makes a good replacement for yoghurt in recipes.
Used as a marinade, the acid in buttermilk has a tenderising effect on tough cuts of meat and it is often used to marinate game.
A recent article in The Independent in London stated that buttermilk is making an appearance on menus of many fashionable restaurants.
Restaurants are making their own by curdling milk, while foodies are tracking the real stuff to small dairies or they are making their own version – by, say, adding one tablespoon of crème fraîche to 500ml of milk and then leaving it overnight.
COURGETTE CRUMPETS WITH BACON AND AVO SALSA
Serves 6-8
500ml self-raising flour
2ml baking powder
salt and pepper
1 egg
300ml buttermilk
4 courgettes, coarsely grated
1 disc of feta, crumbled
oil, for frying
250g punnet of cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 avocado, diced
125ml shredded fresh basil leaves
half a small red onion, cut into thin wedges
15ml balsamic vinegar
125g rindless streaky bacon, crisply fried
Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Make a well in the centre. Whisk in the egg and buttermilk until just combined.
Add the courgettes and feta and stir to combine.
Heat 15ml oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
Spoon in some of the courgette batter and cook for 3-4 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface.
Turn and cook for a further 3-4 minutes .
Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining courgette batter.
Combine the cherry tomatoes, avocado, basil, onion and balsamic.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the crumpets with crispy bacon and the tomato and avocado salsa.
CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK CAKE
Serves 8-10
125g butter
125ml oil
45ml cocoa
250ml water
500ml flour
375ml castor sugar
2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
5ml bicarbonate of soda
5ml vanilla essence
125ml buttermilk
ICING:
60g butter
30ml cocoa powder
30ml buttermilk
560ml icing sugar, sifted
5ml vanilla essence
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 22cm ring pan well.
In a saucepan, gently heat the butter, oil, cocoa powder and water.
Cool slightly and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour and sugar. Then add the eggs, bicarbonate of soda, vanilla essence and buttermilk and mix together.
Pour mixture into the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Remove cake from oven, cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. When completely cool, pour over the icing and decorate as desired.
ICING: Melt the butter and add the sifted cocoa, buttermilk, icing sugar and vanilla essence.
Beat until smooth.
CHICKEN WINGS WITH BUTTERMILK DRESSING
Makes 16
8 chicken wings
60ml soy sauce
15ml peanut oil
15ml rice wine
30ml tomato sauce
30ml honey
30ml sweet chilli sauce
10ml crushed garlic
3ml Chinese five spice powder
DRESSING
250ml good-quality mayonnaise
180ml buttermilk
60ml sour cream
5ml garlic salt
5ml dried thyme
30ml snipped chives
salt and pepper
Cut the wings in half at the joint. Place in a large bowl.
Combine the soy sauce, oil, rice wine, tomato sauce, honey, sweet chilli, garlic and five spice in a jug.
Pour over the chicken and turn to coat.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Reserving the marinade, place the chicken on a baking tray lined with tinfoil.
Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with the marinade.
Serve with ranch dressing.
DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend until smooth.
CRISPY CHICKEN NUGGETS
Serves 4
160ml buttermilk
1 garlic clove, crushed
500g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
375ml panko breadcrumbs
30ml self-raising flour
3ml paprika
3ml English mustard powder
3ml dried oregano
2ml chilli powder
2ml salt
2ml ground black pepper
olive oil, for brushing
GUACAMOLE
1 large ripe avocado, peeled and mashed
1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
30ml finely chopped coriander
2ml crushed garlic
30ml lime juice
salt and pepper
Pour the buttermilk into a wide shallow dish and stir in the garlic. Cut the chicken into chunky cubes and combine with the buttermilk, turning to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
Then combine the breadcrumbs and flour. Heat a non-stick frying pan and toast them for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly so they brown evenly and don’t burn.
Tip the crumbs into a bowl and stir in the paprika, mustard, oregano, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Line a baking tray with tinfoil and brush with olive oil. In batches, transfer the chicken nuggets from the buttermilk to the breadcrumbs, making sureto coat evenly. Place on the prepared baking tray. Repeat with all the chicken.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Serve with guacamole.
GUACAMOLE: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
l Panko breadcrumbs are Japanese crumbs and are available from Woolworths as well as Asian shops. If they are not available, use fresh white breadcrumbs.
PULL-APART CHEESE AND ONION LOAF
Makes 1 loaf
60g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
15ml poppy seeds
salt and pepper
250ml grated cheddar cheese
625ml flour
10ml baking powder
2ml bicarbonate of soda
5ml salt
125g cold butter, cubed
250ml buttermilk
60g melted butter
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a 25x12cm loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large frying pan, melt the butter, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the poppy seeds and season with salt and pepper. Scrape the onion mixture on to a plate and refrigerate for 5 minutes until slightly cooled, before mixing it with the cheese.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the buttermilk and mix until a soft but not sticky dough forms.
Turn the dough out on to a well-floured work surface and knead 2 or 3 times.
Divide in half. Roll each half of the dough into a long, thin rectangle about 10x40cm. Brush with the melted butter and spread with half the onion mixture. Cut 5 equal pieces 8cm each. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Stack the pieces on top of each other onion-side up, with the final piece onion-side down.
Carefully pack the stack in the prepared loaf pan and brush with melted butter. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden and risen. Remove, cool slightly and unmould.
Serve warm with butter.
The Star