Monday, March 25, 2013

reposting from a few years ago...
BUTTER LAMBS
Years ago when my husband and I lived in Buffalo, New York, there was (and still is) a big Polish Catholic tradition of purchasing butter in the shape of a lamb for your Easter celebration.
I don't ban the bunnies, but I feel a lot happier with a few lambs and crosses around my house, especially at this time of the year.  Those sorts of things are getting more difficult to find nowadays on account of having to make store shelf room for the camouflage plastic eggs and the Barbie tin pails that someone out there feels is a MUST-HAVE for your modern egg hunt (I have to admit that those little rubber duckies they have this year are adorable!).
So when we lived in Buffalo, I joyously bought my butter lamb every year. When we left Buffalo, I was very sad to have no more.  So I make my own now.
Some people make a "wooly" lamb by making the butter all squiggly through a garlic press, but I just use a plastic mold that you might buy for making chocolate lambs.   I have 2 kinds:  one has a front and a back that makes a whole lamb, and the other is for chocolate lollipops--the front of a lamb without a back.
You can purchase a whole lamb mold at a baking supplies shop or at the Polish Art Center.
Here's how to make a butter lamb!
1.  Using clean hands or the tip of a table knife, press semi-firm butter into the molds.  Keep looking on the front-side as you're pressing, to make sure you get the air bubbles out.
2.  Scrape the back-sides level, wipe off the excess around the edges, and attach the two sides together.
3.  Put in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
4.  Carefully take the lamb out of the mold.  Using a knife and/or paper towel, trim the excess off the seams.
5.  Traditionally, peppercorns are used for the eyes; I melt a few chocolate chips and use a toothpick to paint the eyes.
6.  Traditionally, the lamb has a bow or sash, and a toothpick flag with a red cross is placed in his back.  I usually put a red or purple ribbon bow on mine, using melted chocolate to attach it.


May you have a blessed Easter, Friends!

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."  ~~Isaiah 53:6

14 comments:

  1. That's such a neat butter lamb! My daughter-in-laws mom makes a cute lamb cake and brings it over for Easter sometimes. 

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  2. I love traditions (in moderation), and this is a lovely one.  The only trouble is having to dig into it at Easter dinner!

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  3. Lovely! Aren't traditions wonderful?  And who knew butter could look so nice?

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  4. thank you for sharing this idea. I just dug out my chocolate molds because I have some small sheep for individual candies... Miss Dog Lover and I wil be making some butter sheep. And probably some chocolate lambs, too.

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  5. @TobyBo - Now that sounds like an interesting idea--small individual ones!

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  6. @RenascenceC - The trouble is, I have found that people will NOT eat the lamb--they go without butter, instead!

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  7. That is adorable!! It would be hard to use. Funny, I never had trouble with any chocolate figures though - no matter how cute they are!

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  8. This is wonderful tradition full of meaning ( the Easter  lamb , innocent a&nd sweet victim like Jesus on the cross, our redemptor ) .  Thanks for your wishes .Have a blessed and happy Easter Love Michel 

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  9. So when and where did you live in Buffalo? That's where my hubby is from!

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  10. @i_was_there_and_back_again - From 1983 to 1987!  My husband got his PhD at SUNY, and I worked in several public libraries in the summer, and then as a school librarian in North Tonawanda during the school year!

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  11. Very cute lambs.  I don't think I'd have a lot of trouble with digging into the butter though, especially if it were the only butter on the table!

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  12. You are right to repost this wonderful Polish tradition . Have a great Holyweek and joyous  Easter .Love [v}Michel

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  13. Those lambs are quite cute and well worth the trouble to put all of the details on them.Hope you had a lovely Easter and are having a happy spring!

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