Buttermilk Batters

Isn't that a cute little milk jug?

Many recipes have buttermilk as an ingredient to help give the product a creamy taste and flavor. Often I keep some buttermilk (left over from another preparation) in the freezer for recipes. But this is less than successful, often changing texture as it separates slightly and loses some of the creaminess. While this doesn't seem noticeable in sauces, in some other products it doesn't work well. You can also make a substitute for 1 cup of buttermilk in recipes with one tablespoon of lemon or lime juice, or vinegar plus enough milk to equal 1 cup total.
But, fresh real buttermilk does give foods a special creaminess and flavor. It is a good thing that the acidity of buttermilk gives it a long refrigerator life, so you have longer to find uses for it. 
When daughter Sara was here and we planned to use some of her CSA veggies, the fried okra needed a buttermilk dip. Even the non-veggie eaters in the family like it! Then - what to do with the rest of the buttermilk?? So I searched for recipes. The Buttermilk Coconut Pound Cake from Martha Stewart was also a hit. It was so tender and yummy tasting. And even though I try not to fry too many things, there was still buttermilk left and it was too creamy not to use in a fry-batter, so it went with fish, tomatillos, and a few other crispy sides using the same preparation as we did for the okra.

Buttermilk Fried Okra

1 lb. fresh okra, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

¾ cup buttermilk

1 ½ cups self-rising white cornmeal mix

            (or 1 ½ cups cornmeal + ½ tsp. baking powder)

1 tsp. table salt

1 tsp. sugar

¼ tsp. ground red pepper

Vegetable oil

Stir together okra and buttermilk in a large bowl. Stir together cornmeal mix and next 3 ingredients (salt, sugar, red pepper) in  a separate large bowl. Remove okra from buttermilk in batches, using a slotted spoon. Dredge in cornmeal mixture, and place in a wire-mesh strainer. Shake off excess.

Pour oil to depth of 1 inch into a large, deep cast-iron skillet or Dutch over; heat to 365 degrees. Fry okra, in batches, 4 minutes or until golden, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

From Southern Living – Fresh Garden Recipes

Buttermilk Coconut Pound Cake

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, divided

1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut, tasted, divided

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 4 ½ x 8 ½ -inch loaf pan. Whisk together, flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 8 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down bowl. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with two ½ -cup additions of buttermilk, and beat until combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in 1 ¼ cups coconut.

Transfer batter to pan and bake until a skewer inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 60 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, 1 hour. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely on rack. (Store at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, up to 4 days).

Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Drizzle over cake and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup coconut.

(from Martha Stewart)