adventures in making things that usually come made

The Food:
Our campus food store, Weshop, does not sell creme fraiche. What's more, they don't sell buttermilk either. I was planning on baking an artichoke tart, but the tart called for 1/3 cup of creme fraiche. So what is a cook to do? Go out to the store and buy the necessary ingredients? Of course not! Obviously, I had to make the buttermilk to make the creme fraiche, which meant that I also had to make butter.
So it was- I put cream in a jar and shook it for half an hour until the butter separated from the buttermilk. I only realized later that I could have done it in a food processor or with a handmixer, both of which we have. No matter, now I know that wherever I am, if I have a jar and some cream, or a jar and a cow, I can make every dairy product ever. And in fact if there was no refrigerator involved, the stuff might actually taste better. Next time I will let the cream sour slightly before shaking it, to add some depth to the flavor.
I made creme fraiche by combining a spoonful of buttermilk and half a cup of cream, and letting it sit in a jar on top of our microwave for a day and a half.
Then I used the rest of the homemade buttermilk, homemade butter, and cream to make scones. These turned out fluffy, rich, and fantastic. Apparently the secret to great scones is to make the butter and buttermilk from scratch.

And the People Who Ate Them:
I brought the scones to rehearsal (I'm writing an opera), where they received the highest praises and were quickly devoured. Apparently the secret to a great rehearsal is to make scones with butter and buttermilk from scratch.

Recipes:

For homemade butter/buttermilk:
1 pint of good organic cream (makes 6 ounces/ a stick and a half)
large pinch of salt

Let the cream sour first- leave it at room temperature for 24 hours. Shake the cream until butter forms and separates from the liquid: You can do this in a food processor, or with a hand mixer, or in a jar (20-35 minutes), OR, hang it from the back side of your covered wagon and the butter will form as you make your way across the continent on the Oregon Trail.
Strain the butter in a fine sieve or with a cheesecloth (save the buttermilk for another use), and run it under water until liquid is clear.
With a spoon, smash the butter around in a bowl and mix in the salt, pouring off any more liquid. Form into a block and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before using, allowing the flavors to develop.
Afterwards, you can use it in:

Chocolate Pecan Scones (adapted from Everyday Greens)
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 cup of chocolate chips or chunks
1/4 cup of shaved chocolate (optional)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
6 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick homemade butter, chilled and cubed
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup buttermilk
Pastry egg wash:
1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream, mixed until smooth

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and set the oven rack to the middle position.

Shave some chocolate- the shaved chocolate will meld into the dough and impart some sweetness and add some interesting flecks of color on the scones, but otherwise it's not necessary. I only did it because my housemate got a solid block of milk chocolate for Valentine's day and it's impossible to eat in its original form.

Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix in the butter pieces until it resembles coarse meal. A pastry blender or something with a paddle attachment might help, but if you have an opposable thumb and a few extra fingers, you're good to go. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the pecans.

Combine the zest, chocolate (shaved and chips), cream, and buttermilk. Add to the dry ingredients and gently mix together just until it's capable of holding a shape. Don't overwork the dough!

Sprinkle the work surface lightly with flour and shape the dough into an 8-inch round, about 1 inch high. cut the round into 8 wedges and place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. To prevent the bottoms from burning, consider putting two baking sheets on top of each other, or use a pyrex cake pan (what I did). If nothing with a thick bottom is available, don't sweat it. Burnt, crunchy bottoms on scones can be quite nice.

Make the egg wash and brush it over the scones.

Bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until golden and cooked through, 10-15 minutes more.