Judith Fertig’s Overland Park, Kan., kitchen is a modest but efficient space with white cabinetry, gray countertops and textured walls painted a soothing Benjamin Moore “butter.”

On a recent gray spring day, she’s also getting ready to show me how to make butter. She pours two cups of heavy whipping cream from the carton into a food processor and presses a switch. Together we watch the cream whirl and froth. The motion of the blade magically transforms the liquid from soft peaks to solid then begins to throw off its whey, a watery liquid that separates from the solids.

Fertig transfers the lump of butter that has formed in the work bowl into a cheesecloth-lined bowl and gently presses the mass with a spatula until it releases more whey.

In only five minutes, she has “churned” sweet cream butter — but without a single blister or callous.

Over the past 15 years, the prolific cookbook author has carved out an area of expertise by focusing on traditional Midwestern cuisine with a twist.

Her fourth prairie-themed cookbook, “Heartland — The Cookbook” (Andrews McMeel, $35), released April 13, is being hailed as a celebration of a region of the country “where farm-to-table isn’t a movement.”

“Finally!” cookbook author and New York native Molly O’Neill proclaims boldly from the book jacket. “Someone who gets the Midwest, and loves the Midwest, and is not afraid to explain why the least-understood part of the nation is rapidly becoming a food scene worth getting to know.”

Fertig, who has that grounded, bubbly-yet-self-effacing quality reminiscent of actress Diane Keaton, admits she’s relieved the proverbial fly-over country is finally getting serious star billing.

“The locavore movement has helped people look at regional cooking in a different way,” she says. “Before now, we wouldn’t have said ‘Midwest’ and ‘artisan’ in the same breath.”

The 283-page hardcover book is, without a doubt, Fertig’s most beautiful cookbook on the subject.

But it might also be one of her most useful, with a focus on shorter prep times and simpler cooking methods.

The idea for a modern butter recipe came to Fertig while she was working on an article for Saveur magazine.

The assignment took her to Nicodemus, Kan., an African-American pioneer town, to interview Pearlena Moore. “We used to have a little song when we was churning butter,” Moore told Fertig.

Come, butter, come.Mama wants you come,Baby wants you to come,Come, butter, come.

“I always thought, ‘Why in the world would you need a song?’” Fertig says as she transfers the soft, fluffy butter to an earthen ware bowl with a spatula.

She laughs. “But then I found out how long it took to make butter!”

To lard and beyondMidwestern farm wives have been known for their breads, but the time commitment can seem daunting to modern cooks, so Fertig has decided to demonstrate a recipe for No-Knead Clover Honey Challah, a soft, braided yeast bread rich with eggs.

“I think that’s the way baking is going,” she says.

“Heartland” includes everything from Root Beer Funnel Cakes inspired by a diner in Hays, Kan., to Flyover Country Duck Confit, a “new-old” preserving technique. Fertig even includes a fuss-free recipe for rendering lard, but if that’s too intimidating, she suggests buying leaf lard at Bichelmeyer Meats, a family-owned business in Kansas City, Kan.

“It’s so much better than the lard in grocery stores,” she says.

Fertig gets it. She’s often pressed for time, too.

She meant to have a finished loaf on hand for our interview, but at the last minute she found herself watching her grand-dog, a sweet dachshund named Mimi, who made a break for it to romp through the yard.

With Mimi snuggled back into her crate, Fertig returns to the kitchen and carefully measures the flour by spooning it into the cup then leveling with a knife.

“It’s important to measure properly,” she says. “If the measuring cup is dipped into the bag and scooped, you will end up with more flour.”

Into the bowl go the yeast and salt. She stirs the mixture with a Danish dough whisk, an odd-looking elliptical-shaped whisk with a sturdy wooden handle that resembles something pioneer women might have used to beat a rug.

Fertig initially came across the whisk in a King Arthur’s baking catalog and began to experiment with it while testing recipes for “Prairie Home Breads” (Harvard Common Press, 2001).

“It’s just perfect for a no-knead bread,” she says. “Now I have two of them (whisks) because I’m afraid I’ll lose one.”

In a 4-cup measure, Fertig mixes local Cooper’s honey, oil and eggs then adds enough warm water to reach the 4-cup mark.

She stirs the honey-egg mixture into the flour mixture, using the whisk to beat for 40 strokes — “like a brownie mix.”

She covers the dough with plastic wrap and leaves it to rise for two hours. But if you don’t have several hours, then you can keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Down-home secretsWhile the bread rises in a warm oven, we sit on Fertig’s living room couch and flip through the glossy pages and photos of “Heartland.”=

“Heartland” offers 150 recipes. Compare that with the 400 she produced for “Prairie Home Cooking” (Harvard Common Press, 1999). In “Heartland,” she was also able to flesh out the region beyond recipe header notes.

For instance, Fertig shares her experiences foraging for wild plants and herbs with Jonathan Justus, chef/owner of Justus Drugstore in Smithville.

She interviews Frank Reese, a Lindsborg, Kan., heritage poultry breeder. She re-creates the life of a sheep on Green Dirt Farm in Weston.

“I want it to feel real,” she says. “That there’s a real connection with your family heritage, the place you live in — and that you’re not just trying some new recipe.

“One of the last issues of Gourmet (magazine) featured Bolivian street food, and it didn’t mean anything to me,” she says. “I’ve never been to Bolivia.”

NO-KNEAD CLOVER HONEY DOUGH—Yield: 24-32 servings

6 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting2 tablespoons instant or bread machine yeast1 1/2 tablespoons fine kosher salt1 cup clover or other amber honey1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil2 large eggsWarm water (about 100 degrees)

Procedure:1. Spoon flour into measuring cup, level with a knife or your finger, then dump flour into 16-cup mixing bowl. Add yeast and salt. Stir with wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk.2. Mix honey, oil and eggs in 4-cup measuring cup. Add enough warm water to reach the 4-cup mark and stir. Pour honey mixture into flour mixture, stir to combine, then beat 40 strokes, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, until dough forms a lumpy, sticky mass.3. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature (72 degrees) 2 hours, or until dough has risen to about 2 inches below rim of bowl and has a spongelike appearance.4. Use that day or place dough, covered with plastic wrap, in refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking. If desired, write the date on the plastic wrap so you know the bake-by date for your dough.

“Heartland — The Cookbook,” by Judith FertigCLOVER HONEY CHALLAH—Yield: 1 (14-inch) braided loaf

1/2 batch No-Knead Clover Honey Dough (see recipe)Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dusting1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg washSesame or poppy seeds for sprinkling (optional)

Procedure:1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.2. To form loaf, transfer dough to floured surface. Working dough as little as possible, use rolling pin to roll dough into large rectangle, dusting with flour as necessary. Fold dough in half, turn a quarter turn, and roll out again. Repeat three times. With your hands, form dough into a cylinder.3. With a dough scraper, divide dough into 3 equal portions. Transfer dough portions to floured surface and dust lightly with flour. Flour your hands. Working dough as little as possible and adding flour as necessary, roll each portion into a 16-inch-long rope. Lay ropes out vertically, parallel to each other and close but not touching.4. Braid ropes together snugly, starting at top: Lift each rope and pass over or under one of the others in sequence. Tuck ends under to form an oblong loaf about 14 inches long.5. Carefully transfer loaf to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let rest at room temperature 40 minutes.6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Carefully brush loaf with egg wash. Sprinkle with seeds.7. Bake 40-42 minutes, or until crust is a shiny, medium brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of each loaf registers at least 190 degrees. Transfer to wire rack to cool.8. Enjoy right away with Sweet Cream Farmhouse Butter, or let cool, wrap and freeze up to 3 months.9.Leftover challah makes excellent French toast or bread pudding.

“Heartland — The Cookbook,” by Judith FertigSWEET CREAM FARMHOUSE BUTTER—Yield: 1 1/2 cups

2 cups heavy cream

Procedure:1. Line sieve with single layer of cheesecloth and place sieve over bowl.Pour cream into work bowl of food processor and process about 5 minutes. The cream will go, in stages, from liquid to whipped cream to thick whipped cream to a solid mass of butter that separates from the milky liquid or whey.2. Transfer butter to cheesecloth-lined sieve and press butter with wooden spoon to release more whey.3. When butter does not release any more whey, scoop butter from sieve and cover in plastic wrap. Use right away, keep covered in refrigerator for up to 1 month, or freeze indefinitely. Makes an excellent hostess gift.“Heartland — The Cookbook,” by Judith FertigSOUR CHERRY PRESERVES—Yield: 3 cups

4 cups pitted fresh or thawed frozen sour cherries2 cups sugarJuice of 1/2 lemon1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Procedure:1. Heat cherries and sugar in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Attach candy thermometer to inside of pan.2. Cook, stirring occasionally as cherries begin to bubble and release their juices; the cherries will continue to bubble and rise higher in the pan. Keep cooking until mixture reaches 220 degrees and has reduced to a preserves-like consistency, about 20 minutes.3. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and almond extract.4. Transfer half the mixture to food processor and pulse into a jam with flecks of cherry. 5. Combine in a bowl with whole cherries from pan. Divide among clean glass jars with lids, let cool, and secure lids.5. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 year. These preserves are excellent on cheesecake or pound cake, as a tart filling, or over ice cream.

“Heartland — The Cookbook,” by Judith Fertig

Sour Cherry Preserves, homemade “churn butter” and a loaf of Clover Honey Challah at her home in Overland Park, Kansas. The recipes are in Judith Fertig’s new book “Heartland: The Cookbook.” Photo by

Tammy Ljungblad

The cover of Fertig’s latest cookbook. Photo by

Cookbook author Judith Fertig makes Sweet Cream Farmhouse Butter using store-bought heavy cream. Photo by

Tammy Ljungblad