Butter for Imbolc

Today's is Imbolc, the midway point between winter solstice and spring equinox. It goes by many names, but the sentiment is almost always the same: purity, growth and renewal. The end of the darkness of winter and the approaching renewal of life to the Earth. A great day to get started on the spring cleaning, make a donation box, spark some new love or invigorate an old one.

I decided to make butter this year
1. because it is a bit of a messy project and I will have to give my counters a good cleaning anyway.
2. Dairy is a big part of the Sabbat.
3. Who doesn't love butter!

You will need:
Heavy Cream or Manufacturers Cream
Stand Mixer with Whisk and Paddle attachments and the splatter guard
Ice Water

Make sure to clean off your counter of anything you don't want splattered in buttermilk.
Pour 2 cups heavy cream into mixer with whisk attachment and cover in place and turn mixer to high.  you will see it start to make whipped cream then it will start to look chunky. Stop mixer and scrape sides.

turn back on and mix on high again until the buttermilk starts to splatter the guard and the butter sticks to the whisk

Pour off the buttermilk and save it for biscuits, pancakes, or Texas sheet cake (That's my plan for it)
Switch to the paddle and add some of the ice water. make sure not to add ice though. Mix the butter and ice water to wash the residual buttermilk out. Dump the water and add more.

After washing the butter 3-4  times you will see the water is much less cloudy and all you have left is yummy butter.

pack this in an airtight container in the fridge if you have any left from all the taste testing you will be doing.

I made two batches today. I hope it's enough!