Turn your Christmas tree needles into Christmas tree cream to make outrageously flavorful puddings, custards, whipped cream and more.
Add needles plus a quarter of your cream into a blender. Blend until the cream thickens too much to continue blending. Add another quarter of your cream and repeat the process until all cream is incorporated and has a whipped cream consistency. (*Milk will not thicken when blended, only cream.)
Ladle into a covered jar/container and place in your fridge for 3 days, stirring twice a day for 30-60 seconds with a spoon. This helps break down bubbles in cream and extract more flavor from needles. If making milk version, we still recommend stirring twice daily to aid flavor infusion.
CREAM ONLY - On Day 3, remove cream from fridge and place over low heat in a sauce pan for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly to make sure things don’t get too hot. You’re not trying to cook the cream, you just want it warm enough to return it to a liquid state so it strains easily. Strain heated cream through a cheese cloth or a mesh strainer to remove the needles. Repeat the straining process as-needed (or use a finer strainer) until all needles are removed.
MILK ONLY - On Day 3, remove milk from fridge and strain through cheese cloth or a mesh strainer to remove the needles. Repeat the straining process as-needed (or use a finer strainer) until all needles are removed.
Add needles plus a quarter of your cream into a blender. Blend until the cream *thickens too much to continue blending. Add another quarter of your cream and repeat the process until all cream is incorporated and has a whipped cream consistency. (*Milk version will not thicken or whip.)
Ladle cream into a saucepan on medium low heat (3 on our stovetop) or pour in for milk version. Stir or whisk every few minutes to prevent sticking and make sure the cream/milk doesn’t get too hot. You don’t want it boiling. You’re aiming for a relatively slow, low temperature infusion that doesn’t cause the needles to produce off flavors or too much bitterness.
After about 30 minutes, remove from heat and strain out needles through cheesecloth or mesh strainer. (Or cook for another 5-10 minutes for more flavor intensity before straining.) Repeat straining process as-needed until all needles are removed, or do secondary straining through finer meshed strainer.
Christmas tree cream (made with conifer needles) https://www.tyrantfarms.com/recipe-christmas-tree-cream-milk-made-with-conifer-needles/