Ghee

A few days ago I was looking over my posts on Indian food and realized that, even though ghee is frequently called for as an ingredient in the recipes, I had never provided a recipe for it. Ghee is butter which has been cooked until the milk solids have been browned and the water has boiled off.  The remaining butter is strained through cheesecloth. It keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator and has a much higher burning point than regular butter. This recipe is from Jennifer McLagen's Fat--a wonderful cookbook that I have written about earlier in this blog.

GHEE

(makes about 3/4 cup)

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter

Cut the butter into small pieces and place them in a small, heavy saucepan over low heat. Once the butter has melted, increase the heat just until the butter simmers. As the butter simmers, a layer of white foam will form on the top and the butter will bubble and spit as the water boils off. After about 10 minutes, the spitting and bubbling will stop.

Now the milk solids on the bottom of the pan will begin to color. Watch the butter carefully at this point, using a spoon to push aside the foam to check the color of the milk solids. When they turn brown and you can smell a sweet, nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes, allowing the flavor of the browned milk solids to infuse the ghee.

Carefully strain the ghee through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a double layer of sheesecloth into a clean glass jar, leaving the browned milk solids behind. When cool cover the jar and keep the ghee refrigerated. It can also be frozen.

Ms. McLagen suggests saving the milk solids and adding them to rice and vegetable dishes.