Geymar or Kaymak is creamy, delicious, and really easy to prepare. While clotted cream is usually served with scones, in the Middle East, it's enjoyed for breakfast with homemade pita bread, fig preserves, and tea.
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Traditional geymar is prepared with water buffalo milk. It has a sweet and creamy taste and is very decadent. It's like cream cheese, but sweeter and richer.
My mom made geymar the traditional way, which means she did not add cornstarch. It required hours of simmering, a lot of waiting, and a little bit of luck. Sometimes it turned out great, and other times it didn't thicken up as much as she'd hoped.
Traditional geymar recipes require an equal ratio of water buffalo milk and heavy whipping cream. The mixture is simmered over low heat for hours, then poured into a wide, shallow pan so that the thickened cream can be skimmed off the surface and rolled into itself. But first, you have to allow the cream to set in the refrigerator for a minimum of 12 hours or up to a few days.
Eventually, the thickened cream is scooped from the surface, leaving some cream behind. The remaining cream can be used in other recipes, including homemade yogurt, or it can be boiled again, and the process repeated.
Geymar is not only popular in Iraq and Turkey (where it's referred to as kaymak), but is also enjoyed in Iran, Afghanistan, Greece, and throughout the Balkan countries.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- I get that you don't have 20+ hours to spare to make clotted cream. That's where my easy clotted cream recipe comes in.
- When you thicken the geymar with cornstarch, you only need a few hours, not days.
- This geymar recipe is not traditional and does not require water buffalo milk, but it is quick and easy, and guarantees perfect geymar every single time!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Half-and-half: Half-and-half is a mixture of cream and milk.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the clotted cream, we will add cornstarch.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy whipping cream comes with different fat content. The one I used was 36% heavy whipping cream.
🥛 How to Make Geymar (kaymak)
Step 1: Stir cornstarch into half-and-half until smooth, then set aside.
Step 2: Heat heavy whipping cream over low heat until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pot.
Step 3: Whisk half-and-half and cornstarch mix into whipping cream and continue to stir over a low flame until the mixture thickens. This can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. The consistency should resemble a thick pancake batter.
Step 4: Pour the cream mixture into a shallow pan and bring to room temperature.
Step 5: Once cooled, place the pan in the refrigerator for a few hours. Serve for breakfast with bread, date syrup, or honey, and don't forget the chai!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
If you sit down to a proper English tea, you're sure to find clotted cream alongside your scones and tea. Much like we use butter and jam in the United States, it is smeared over freshly baked scones and topped with jam.
However, you can just as easily spread it over toast. In the Middle East, geymar, called kaymak in Turkey, is used as a filling for a phyllo dough dessert called "kahi." Sometimes it is also tucked inside crispy kataifi and drenched in syrup. This heavenly dessert is called kunafa.
Half-and-half is made with a combination of cream and whole milk. Besides adding richness to coffee, you can use it in recipes that call for cream (as long as it doesn't need to be whipped).
In the Middle East, geymar is served for breakfast, alongside date molasses, Middle Eastern bread, fig preserves, and freshly brewed tea.
Kaymak is prepared with full-fat milk or half-and-half, and heavy cream from cows, goats, and water buffaloes. The cream is slowly boiled, allowing the fat to rise to the surface. Once cooled, this thick layer is carefully removed and eaten for breakfast.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Geymar can be used as a filling in various Middle Eastern desserts and pastries, including kunafa and kahi.
- Try this geymar recipe with fig jam, they're a match made in heaven!
- Store geymar in the fridge for up to a week in an air-tight container.
- Since this clotted cream recipe is made with dairy, it does not freeze well and should be eaten within a week.
🍽 More Middle Eastern Recipes
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Stir cornstarch into half and half until smooth, then set aside.
- Heat heavy whipping cream over medium heat, until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pot.
- Whisk the half-and half into the whipping cream and continue to stir until the mixture thickens. This can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. The consistency should resemble thick pancake batter.
- Pour the mixture into a shallow pan and bring to room temperature.
- Once cooled, place the pan in the refrigerator for a few hours. Serve for breakfast with bread, date molasses, or honey, and don't forget the chai!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Geymar can be used as a filling in various Middle Eastern desserts and pastries, including kunafa and Kahi.
- Try geymar and fig jam, they're a match made in heaven!
- Store geymar in the fridge for up to a week in an air-tight container.
- Since clotted cream is made with dairy, it does not freeze well and should be eaten fresh.
Ahmed Daghistani says
Hi!! thank you for the innovative take on kaymak, i thought i'll give it a try, but for some reason my mix didnt get as thick as a pancake batter, idk what i did wrong, i did however not know how to exactly balance the heat, i kept stirring on low heat because i didnt want to burn or ruin it, but there was evaporation, i also used heavy cream and milk, i did equal amount of both. i probably did many things wrong but i was just going with the flow haha.
Hilda Sterner says
hi Ahmed, Thanks for reaching out! From your comment, I would surmise that maybe you had the heat too low. Maybe turn up the heat a little next time? The only other thing, you mentioned using milk, but the recipe calls for half and half. If you can't find half and half, I would just use whipping cream instead so that it's very creamy. I hope you try it again!
Ibs says
Do I use this recipe if using water buffalo milk? Should I mix regular cow heavy cream with the water buffalo milk?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi, I have never been lucky enough to have water buffalo milk to test out this recipe, but if I were to guess, I'd say it should work just fine with a mixture of water buffalo milk and heavy cream.
Sandy says
I love gemar....do you ever strain it then add heavy cream over it (in the container where it is stored?)? Thank you.
Sandy says
I mean strain it with a cheesecloth to shape it more. Thanks.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Sandy,
I don't strain the Gemar but I think some people do that.
Claire Velikonja says
how long can gemar be refrigerated for?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Claire,
When I make it, it doesn't last too long, however, I would say a few weeks.
hikmat p gogue says
excellent and easy
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you! I appreciate the feedback. 🙂
Sally says
Hello Hilda,
Can you please clarify how much 1 pint is? Thanks!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Sally,
There are 16 ounces or 2 cups in one pint.