Making crème fraîche at home is an easy and cost-effective alternative to specialty store-bought versions.
The bacterial cultures in buttermilk and yogurt thicken and acidify the cream, while also preventing bad bacteria from taking over.
Adjusting the amount of buttermilk or yogurt and amount of time left at room temperature will determine the consistency of the finished product.
Finally, I found a plus side to the summer heat. It's currently sitting on my windowsill.
For all the hubbub made over crème fraîche—gourmet markets charge an arm and a leg for this creamier, milder cousin to sour cream, and chefs and television cooks mostly treat it as a specialty item, often naming a substitute for folks who can't find or afford it—it's shockingly easy to make at home, and half as expensive. Not to mention it's science-project-style fun.
As its name suggests, crème fraîche has roots in France. Historically, it was fresh cow's cream left out of refrigeration to become sour. The naturally occurring bacteria cultures would not only prevent it from spoiling, but would work to thicken and acidify the cream.
Since today, our dairy is pasteurized (if not ultra-pasteurized),we have to introduce outside lactic culture to make crème fraîche. Lucky for us, two inexpensive dairy-section neighbors have just what we need: buttermilk and yogurt.
How to Make Crème Fraîche
Crème fraîche is incredibly simple to make at home: You simply combine cream with a small amount of buttermilk and allow it to rest in a covered container at room temperature for about 12 hours. Within the day, the cream will have transformed into a thicker, tangier, and more spoonable version of itself.Then just store it in the fridge, where it will continue to mature. The ratio of cream to buttermilk doesn't really matter all that much; add more buttermilk and you'll need less time for the cream to thicken (but it'll be less creamy). Add less, and it takes longer, but tastes better. We found one tablespoon of buttermilk per cup of cream (that's a 1:16 ratio) to strike the best balance.
Even though some recipes recommend kickstarting the process by heating the cream mixture to take off the refrigerator chill, I found that using cold cream actually worked better. It made for a thicker, creamier result. Plus, after 12 to 24 hours at room temperature, the short amount of time you save by preheating the mixture is not that significant anyway over the long run.
Just as every brand of store-bought crème fraîche tastes different,yours will vary slightly depending on the flavor of your milk or yogurt, the butterfat content you can find, and how long you let it become sour.If you like a softer, runnier consistency, check your crème after 12 hours. I've left some batches as long as 36, especially when using yogurt, which I find produces a thinner version.Just keep in mind that the mixture will continue to thicken once you place it in the fridge.
This crème fraîche gets super rich and creamy at right about the 12-hour mark. You can also halt the process early by just refrigerating it to stop the bacterial action. This is useful if you want a thinner Mexican-style crema agria for drizzling over tacos or sopes. For those of you worried about cream spoiling at room temp, that's the idea: It's the good bacteria from the buttermilk multiplying in there that prevents the dangerous bacteria from taking over.
Notes on Shopping
When choosing ingredients,try to find pasteurized* (as opposed to ultra-pasteurized) heavy cream, yogurt and buttermilk.I used a locally produced cream and a full-fat plain yogurt fromRonnybrook. I could only find 1 percent buttermilk in the markets near me (which I was worried would be too diluted), but it worked swimmingly.
*Look out for wording on the packaging! I've read that ultra-pasteurized cream takes longer to sour, but I haven't actually tried it myself.
Your crème will keep for around seven to 10 days, plenty of time for you to dream up some fun ways to use it! Besides spooning some over fresh fruit, pancakes, cobblers or pies, you can use it in savory ways, too.Stir a little into pan sauces, soups or mashed potatoes—it tolerates heat better than milk or cream, and adds a richness and nutty flavor—or mix with lemon and herbs to serve with fish fillets. My favorite use to date: stirring it into scrambled eggs before cooking. Simply out of this world.
There'll be plenty of buttermilk left over, too (which is partly why making your own pays off).
February 2011
Recipe Details
How to Make Crème Fraîche (in One Easy Step!)
Prep5 mins
Active1 min
Resting Time12 hrs
Total12 hrs 5 mins
Serves16 servings
Makes2 cups
Ingredients
1 pint (16 ounces) heavy cream
2tablespoons (1 ounce) cultured buttermilk
Directions
Combine buttermilk and heavy cream in a non-reactive container. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature until thickened to desired texture, about 12 hours. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
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Crème fraîche is produced by adding a starter culture to heavy cream and allowing it to stand at an appropriate temperature until it thickens. The culture is made up of a mix of bacteria including, Lactococcus species L.
Sour cream (which has less fat) is the best and easiest substitute, but it's not as rich or tangy as crème fraîche. Full-fat plain Greek yogurt is another substitute, but it doesn't have the same smooth texture or mild flavor.
A In a nutshell, soured cream is single cream that has been given a sharp, sour edge by adding a bacterial culture; creme fraiche is double cream similarly cultured but made from cream with a high fat content and is richer and thicker.
If you're wondering what is in crème fraîche – that is, the kind that you would make at home – the straightforward answer is just two ingredients: heavy cream and buttermilk (or yogurt). And it only takes about 10 minutes to make, although you will have to wait at least 24 hours before it's ready to enjoy.
Sour cream may contain thickening agents like gelatin or polysaccharides to create a smooth texture, while creme fraiche's fermentation process naturally produces a thicker texture than sour cream. Plus, sour cream has a tangier taste than creme fraiche, which has a rich and creamy taste.
Rich in calcium and probiotics, crème fraîche can help to promote gut health, but its high-fat content might not align with everyone's dietary goals. The best way to make informed choices when incorporating crème fraîche into your meals is by understanding what your body wants and needs.
Creme fraiche is a great substitute for cream or sour cream in many recipes. Creme fraiche is also ideal when cooking because it can be heated without the risk of curdling, so it's perfect for making velvety thick sauces. Dishes that use creme fraiche include cakes, dips, sauces, pasta and finger food.
Coconut cream is an excellent substitute for creme fraiche in recipes that call for a creamy, tangy flavour. It has a slightly sweet taste, but it's not overpowering. Coconut cream is also high in healthy fats, making it a good choice for recipes that require a high-fat content.
Can I use mayonnaise instead of creme fraiche? While you can easily replace mayonnaise with creme fraiche in most recipes, it's harder to use mayonnaise to replace creme fraiche. That's because creme fraiche is often used in sweeter, dessert style recipes and isn't quite as tangy as mayonnaise.
In addition to sour cream, other ingredients that can be used instead of crème fraîche include thickened cream, Greek yogurt, cream cheese, cottage cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, and Mexican crema.
Crème fraîche is so easy to make at home with just heavy cream and cultured buttermilk. Sure, it takes a couple of days to make, but the effort is minimal, and the payoff is marvelous! It has a higher fat content than sour cream which makes it less likely to curdle when you cook with it.
What is crème fraîche? A classic French ingredient (the literal translation is 'fresh cream') made from dairy cream that's been soured using bacteria in the form of a starter culture, to slightly thicken and acidify it. Crème fraîche is usually made with cream that has at least a 30% fat content.
Double cream has a higher fat content – around 48-50 per cent, and it's not commonly available here. Crème fraîche, on the other hand, is cream that's had a culture added, making it slightly sour in flavour. It's around 40 per cent fat. If you're trying to cook healthily, however, cream is not an everyday ingredient.
Crème fraîche is essentially the European equivalent of sour cream. It's used widely throughout Europe but less commonly in the United States and Canada. Crème fraîche is a dairy product much like sour cream but it has a higher fat content.
Double cream has a higher fat content – around 48-50 per cent, and it's not commonly available here. Crème fraîche, on the other hand, is cream that's had a culture added, making it slightly sour in flavour.It's around 40 per cent fat. If you're trying to cook healthily, however, cream is not an everyday ingredient.
What is crème fraîche? A classic French ingredient (the literal translation is 'fresh cream') made from dairy cream that's been soured using bacteria in the form of a starter culture, to slightly thicken and acidify it. Crème fraîche is usually made with cream that has at least a 30% fat content.
Both yogurt and creme fraiche are cultured, and therefor rich in active probiotics. They are inoculated with good bacteria that convert lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid.
Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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