Milk products

I love milk.  Like most children I was not allowed to leave the dinner table until I finished my milk.  I probably didn't love it as much then as I did later. When I became a little older and was outside terrorizing the neighborhood with my childhood friends I would often take a break and come inside the house to chug down some milk (if no one was looking, from the carton).  It was what I drank to quench my thirst.  I will say, to this day, that if anyone ever wanted to go head-to-head in a milk challenge I would win hands-down.  Even now, I can't force myself to put down a latte and pick up a glass of water.
As we grew up the milk began to get thinner and thinner until we were drinking what seemed like white water.  Everything became "skinny", non-fat, skim,... whatever.  I wish some of those women that order "skinny" anything could see me now.  I drink full-fat milk, half and half, heavy cream and milk so thick it has milk chunks and it tastes so good that I want to bathe in it (great for the skin, by the way).  Not only is the milk full fat but it is as minimally processed as possible.  If I could get it straight from the udder, I would.  Raw milk is truly the best kind of milk you can buy, if it is available.  Unfortunately, there are laws against selling raw dairy products in some states.  It is so illegal that a swat team will literally break into your store and destroy your establishment at gun-point (no joke).
A brand that I am lucky to have available to me is Kalona SuperNatural.  The dairy farmers (many of which are Amish and Mennonite) do not use chemicals, chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides.  Their milk products come from grass-fed cows, are totally organic with no added hormones and are non-homogenized (a process which mixes the milk and ruins the flavor and quality).  The products are also Grade A and have way more nutrients than what you generally get at the store probably because the milk is pasteurized (the legal requirement making it not raw) at the lowest heat allowed.  Industrial-scale milk producers heat their milk up to as much as 265-300 degrees in their pasteurization process while Kalona SuperNatural heats it to 145 degrees.  Read more about their processing methods on their site.
Hopefully the Natural Grocers near me will carry more of their products soon but as of now I drink the whole milk and use their buttermilk for making crème fraiche and adding to my baking. 

Crème fraiche

I generally don't follow recipes exactly when I am experimenting in the kitchen which causes problems if I want to recreate something again later. It also makes it a little more difficult for me to get things written down to share with others. Then again, that is another purpose for this blog. Needless to say, I can't exactly remember where I read about making your own Crème fraiche. But between a magazine article and some different recipes found online I gathered that if I just put 4 tablespoons of high quality organic cultured buttermilk into a mason jar with a pint of organic heavy cream, let it sit covered (with a paper towel) on a countertop until the same time the next day, lo and behold... I have crème fraiche.
I told a friend of mine that I made my own hollandaise with my homemade crème fraiche and she asked "What is crème fraiche?" I said "fresh cream." This made her feel a little stupid because she thought it was something more elaborate and fancy than that. I told her that it is fancy and that's all there is to it because I don't really know what all the hubbub is about, except that it is expensive, hard to find and tastes amazingly fancy!

Eggs Benedict (Grain-Free)

Let me tell you, I did not eat this well before I was primal. But now, it's bacon every day and if not that, eggs benedict. Or better yet, both!

This hollandaise is a sauce made with crème fraiche, for lack of a better use of my experimental homemade batch of it.

Wow, what a lucky experiment! By the way, I put a spoonful in my butternut squash "home-fries" this morning and was blown away...

More on homemade crème fraiche later.

Hollandaise sauce

3 pastured egg yolks (save the whites for the biscuits)

2 1/2 tbs organic lemon juice

1 cup grass-fed organic butter

1 cup crème fraiche

a pinch of sea salt

-Whip the egg yolks and lemon in a food processor while you melt the butter

-Add the butter slowly to the lemon/egg mixture while processing

-Add the crème fraiche to that, a tablespoon at a time

-Salt to taste

-Use right away storing the remainder in a mason or glass jar (because you can stick the jar in a hot water bath later to reheat) It will definitely thicken as it cools.

The "buttermilk biscuit" recipe comes from Maria Emmerich- we definitely thank you!

This works out perfectly because you can make several biscuits and have eggs benedict every day until they and the sauce runs out.

Biscuits

1 1/2 tbs grass-fed organic butter (or homemade lard)

1 cup blanched almond flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tbs baking powder (Grain Free)

4 egg whites

* I also add parsley, garlic power and onion powder (about 1 tsp altogether)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a medium sized muffin pan. Whip egg whites until fluffy, but not stiff. In a separate bowl, sift the baking powder into the almond flour. Then add the butter and salt. Slowly fold in the almond mixture to the egg whites. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Serves 8.

Now for the final results!

I cooked a couple pieces of homemade bacon, sautéed some green onions and warmed up a couple slices of tomato in a pan. Then I layered this on top of the biscuit, set a poached egg on top and poured hollandaise until my heart's content. A little parsley for garnish and I ate like a queen.

You can use anything you like, obviously. I do also recommend a salmon burger with all the fixings on top for a heartier eggs benedict. You will have enough to experiment for a couple of days!