Sweet Cultured Butter and True Buttermilk From 'The Nourished Kitchen'

[Photograph: Jennifer McGruther]

The thought of homemade butter conjures images of large wooden butter churns and hours of arm-busting labor. But these days, butter is actually quite easy to make. If you have a stand mixer, you have it ready to eat in only a few short minutes. Jennifer McGruther takes one extra step in her butter recipe in The Nourished Kitchen. Before churning, she cultures cream for 24 hours to add distinctive tang and a little more nutrition to the butter itself. Culturing the cream requires little more than a splash of cultured buttermilk and a bit of patience. The next day, the now tangy cream takes a spin in a stand mixer until it separates. The resulting butter then just needs a bit of draining and it's ready for toast, vegetables, and plenty of baking.

Why I picked this recipe: Why wouldn't I want to have a stash of homemade butter in the fridge?

What worked: Really, homemade butter couldn't be easier. Plus, it tastes worlds better than the ordinary grocery store variety.

What didn't: You'll want to drape a towel over the stand mixer while churning the butter. It will splatter. A lot.

Suggested tweaks: A few sprinkles of flaky sea salt is a fine addition.

As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of The Nourished Kitchen to give away this week.