Kaymak

Ingredients

Cream

• 2 litreswhole milk, unhomogenised if possible, or
• 1 litredouble cream with 500 ml whole milk

To serve

• fresh bread or boorsok
• honey
• black tea

Directions

1. Pour the milk into the widest, shallowest pan you have. Cream sets at the surface, so the area of that surface is what decides how much you get.
2. Heat very gently to just below a simmer, around 85°C (185°F), and hold it there for an hour and a half without stirring at all.
3. Do not stir. Every disturbance breaks the skin, and building that skin undisturbed is the whole method.
4. Turn off the heat and leave the pan completely still somewhere cool for eight to twelve hours.
5. Refrigerate a further four hours, until the top layer is thick, wrinkled and firm enough to lift in one piece.
6. Run a knife around the edge and lift the sheet off whole with a wide spatula, rolling it as you go.
7. Serve cold or at room temperature with fresh bread and honey and a bowl of black tea. On the jailoo summer pastures this is breakfast.
8. Keep the milk underneath for cooking or tea.

Technique

• Wide pan, low heat, no stirring, long wait — and each of those is a common failure.
• The richer the milk the better. Summer pasture milk is what makes jailoo kaymak famous.
• Do not let it boil. A boil scorches the skin and taints the whole pan.

Substitutions

• Double cream with whole milk, the reliable supermarket route.
• Sheep’s or buffalo milk, both of which set considerably richer.

Variations

• Kazakh kaimak, Turkish kaymak and Persian sarshir are the same preparation.
• Whipped with honey into a sweet cream for bread.

History

Skimmed from milk at the jailoo high pastures, where herds graze deep grass from June.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kaymak?

Kaymak is a cheese & dairy from Kyrgyzstan: thick clotted cream from the summer pastures, eaten with bread and honey. Skimmed from milk at the jailoo high pastures, where herds graze deep grass from June.

How long does Kaymak take to make?

Kaymak takes 10 min plus 12 hours setting of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 300 g. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kaymak?

Yes, within limits. Double cream with whole milk, the reliable supermarket route. Sheep’s or buffalo milk, both of which set considerably richer.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kaymak?

Do not stir. Every disturbance breaks the skin, and building that skin undisturbed is the whole method.