Clarified Butter
Instructions
To make clarified butter gently melt unsalted butter over low heat until the butter breaks down and three layers form. The top layer is a white foam or froth (the whey proteins) and should be skimmed off with a spoon. The milk solids will drop to the bottom of the saucepan and form a milky layer of sediment. What is left in the middle is a pure golden-yellow liquid called clarified butter. When you have skimmed all the white foam from the surface of the clarified butter, and it has stopped bubbling, remove the saucepan from the heat. Let the butter sit a few minutes to allow the milk solids to further settle to the bottom, and then strain the mixture through a fine sieve or a cheesecloth-lined strainer. The liquid collected is the golden-yellow clarified butter (butterfat) that can be covered and stored several months in the refrigerator. Chilled clarified butter does become grainy.
