Golden Milk/Ghee

Recipe by Carolynn Ladd of A Date with Figs
Demonstrated at East Atlanta Village Farmers Market on November 10, 2016

Ingredients

• Banner Butter
• Turmeric (Crack in the Sidewalk)

 Directions

Ghee

1. Heat the unsalted butter ( I like Banner Butter) in a heavy-duty saucepan over low-medium heat without a lid until it’s melted. Let simmer gently until the foam rises to the top of the melted butter.
2. Over the next 20-30 minutes watch the butter carefully. 3 layers will develop: a foamy top layer, a liquid butterfat layer and a milk solids bottom layer. You can remove the foamy top layer with a spoon which helps to see trough to the bottom, but this is optional – it will be strained out in the end.
3. Once the butter stops spluttering, and no more foam seems to be rising to the surface, check to see if the bottom layer has turned a golden brown color, there should be a toasted nutty smell present. If so, the ghee is ready and must be removed from the heat or it will burn.
4. Set a few layers of cheesecloth over a canning jar and carefully pour the warm ghee through the cheesecloth into the container, leaving behind any solids from the bottom of the pan. Let the ghee stand at room temperature to cool and solidify before placing an air-tight lid on the container.

Golden milk – a bedtime tonic

1. Heat 1 cup of nut milk ( I like coconut milk) in a small sauce pan over med/low heat.
2. Once warm add 1/2 teaspoon of each: ginger, cinnamon, ghee and turmeric.
3. Whisk until well incorporated and ghee has melted.
4. Remove from heat and add honey to taste.

Ghee Facts
Ghee is essentially clarified butter, made by heating regular butter until the proteins (casein) and sugars (lactose) separate from the pure butterfat.
Always use organic unsalted butter for optimum health benefits. For example, ghee can be very high in antioxidants, in additions to helping the body absorb vitamins and minerals from other foods, mostly vitamins A, D, E, & K.

Ghee aids in digestion, ulcers, constipation, and the promotion of healthy eyes and skin. Indian beauty creams often use ghee to help soften skin. And you can use it as a topical cream for the treatment of burns.

With a high smoke point (up to 480ºF) ghee is the best fat to cook with. Butter burns at a lower temperature because of the presence of casein and lactose. Once removed, butterfat’s smoke point increases.

*People who are allergic to dairy products, or have casein or lactose intolerance can often tolerate ghee!