The benefit of clarified butter — or in this case, ghee — is that it keeps longer than fresh uncooked butter, and it has a delightful nutty, caramelized flavour that enhances dishes both savoury and sweet. The flavour will vary according to the flavour of the specific butter you use, and also how long you cook/brown it. I use Président, a high-fat French cultured butter that is commonly available in America.

TO MAKE GHEE:

With the hob element set to medium-low, put the desired quantity of butter, cut into pieces, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan (helps prevent burning and keeps a more even heat). Once the butter has melted completely, turn the temperature to a low setting. As the butter starts to foam, resist the urge to stir: you want the solids to fall to the pan bottom and separate from the liquid (whey). Twenty minutes will generally suffice for ghee (you’ll hear the butter ‘snapping and popping’ in the pan as it cooks and goes from milky to golden-clear). The ghee will eventually have a golden foam and the solid bits will be brown: how dark each gets, without burning, is a matter of taste. I recommend, for most purposes, keeping the ghee fairly light in colour. (Colour is an indication of flavour not just doneness in this case.) I don’t bother with skimming-off, but just pour the butter through a fine sieve into a separate bowl. You can reserve the brown bits for enhancing baked goods or seasoning savoury dishes. Ghee that you will use that day does not need refrigerating. But it is recommended to refrigerate unused portions (both the solids and the ghee itself) to extend their freshness.