I recently hosted an Afternoon Tea and I have to admit I went a little wild with the setup. I bought tea cups and tea pots and cute little pastry serving platters. I had everything for a proper English tea except for one thing: Clotted Cream (aka Devonshire, Cornish or Jersey Cream). I couldn't find fresh Clotted Cream anywhere so I figured I would just make some.
I found tons of different recipes that fell into three different categories. One recipe category was for "real" clotted cream, but you needed unpasteurized cream to make it. I was only able to find ULTRA pasteurized cream, and since there is no substituting ULTRA for UN, I had to nix the real stuff. That left two vastly different "mock" recipe categories. One called for a mixture of sour cream and cream cheese, and the other recipe category called for mascarpone cheese. (see recipes at bottom of post)
So how did the two Mock Clotted Creams compare?
Well as you can see from the photograph, the Sour Cream/Cream Cheese version was far silkier and smoother than the Mascarpone version. The sour cream really had a huge impact on the texture of the final product. The texture of the Mascarpone version on the other hand was denser and heavier, and much stiffer. It wasn't lumpy or chunky by any means, just thicker. A good comparison would be egg whites whipped to soft peak vs stiff peaks, or pudding vs cold ice cream.
Taste wise the Sour Cream/Cream Cheese version had a noticeable tang from the cream cheese. The Mascarpone version was very mild, and tasted almost like pure whipped cream.
It's been a while since I had real Clotted Cream, but based on my memories I think the Mascarpone version tasted and had a mouth feel more like the real thing. To me the tang of the Sour Cream/Cream Cheese version just wasn't authentic.
But surprisingly every guest at the Afternoon Tea picked the Sour Cream/Cream Cheese version as their favorite. I was the lone occupant of the Mascarpone camp. Go figure.
Another things to note is that the Mascarpone version did not keep very well. After just a few days in the refrigerator the leftovers started to turn moldy and blue. Yuck. So if you try this version --- only make what you can eat in a day or two. On the other hand, the Sour Cream/Cream Cheese version tasted fine even after a week in the refrigerator, but it did start to separate and lose it fluffiness.
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So here is my table all set for the party. Like I said I went a little overboard.
I bought tea cups in four colors:yellow,pink,blue, andlavender, and I boughttea potsin 12 colors. I actually got the pots directly from the English Tea Store for much, much less than other online shops. I bought some3-tiered pastry serving platters, and some cream & sugar pots to match the colors of the tea pots. I hadhoney sticksin various flavors, lingonberries preserves, black currant jam, andlemon curd. I hadWalker Shortbread, these really delicious Chocolate Crisps, and almondbiscotti. I had sugar cookies, pecan pies and tiny petit four cakes. I even hadtongsto grab the food but no one bothered to use them. I decorated the walls and ceiling with pinkpom-pomsand paper fans, and on the tables I scattered "tea" inspired confetti in pink, green and gold.Like I said, a little overboard.
And I made lots and lots of "tea" food: four different sandwiches, and three different scones. I also had little bowls of berries covered in creme anglaise and whipped cream, and deviled/stuffed egg.
And the most popular item of the extire extravaganza was theMixed Berry Sconesfrom Averie Cooks. Yum.
So the Afternoon Tea was a huge success, but now I don't know what to do with all my "tea party" stuff. Guess I will have to have tea parties more often.
Happy Baking,
Carol
Mascarpone Mock Clotted Cream
Makes about 1-1/2 cups
4 ounces mascarpne
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 or 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
In a medium mixing bowl beat all ingredients until the mixture holds its shape and looks like softly whipped cream. Use right away or cover and refrigerate the cream until serving time. Note: Don't make more than you can use in a few days. Even refrigerated the mixture does not have a long shelf life. It will start to mold and turn blue after 3-4 days.
Sour Cream/Cream Cheese Mock Clotted Cream
Makes about 1-1/2 cups
3 Tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
In a medium mixing bowl add cream cheese and beat at medium speed until fluffy. Add sour cream and sugar and beat until smooth. Add heavy whipping cream and vanilla and beat until combined. Increase the speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until serving.
