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An ever-growing number of restaurants are putting it on their menus and it is more frequently called for in recipes than it was even a year or two ago, but crème fraîche is still not an easy-to-find ingredient, nor is it one that everyone is familiar with. Crème fraîche is a thickened cream, with a slight tang and a texture that is somewhere between sour cream and whipped butter. In France, the cream is made with unpasteurized cream and is allowed to thicken naturally with bacteria already present in the milk. In the US, the cream must be pasteurized (heated to kill bacteria), so crème fraîche is made by adding a small amount of buttermilk or sour cream to get the thickening process started, then it is pasteurized again to kill the bacteria before sale.
Sour cream makes a good substitute for crème fraîche in most recipes, but unlike crème fraîche, sour cream can break or curdle when exposed to high heat. Fortunately, it is easy to make a version of crème fraîche at home. Simply add 2 tbsp buttermilk to 1 cup of heavy cream and let the mixture stand at room temperature for 8-24 hours, until thickened, before refrigerating.
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8-29-2006 @1:04PM RWD fan said... Thanks for the tip, I'll have to give this a try!
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8-29-2006 @4:39PM Spitzmaus said... Some instructions recommend heating the cream/buttermilk mixture to @ 180 degrees, however, I've never found it necessary. As one who's been making her own creme fraiche for years, using the exact proportions above, I can attest it's dead easy; I do, however, partially cover the container, and I leave it out closer to 36 hours -- the additional time thickens it up a bit more.
Oh, and when I make a subsequent batch, I alternate the buttermilk w/ an equivalent amount of creme fraiche, then back to buttermilk the next time. It's rather like keeping a sourdough starter going!
Spitz
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9-07-2006 @2:28AM Chef Brad said... Is there a way to make Creme Fraiche without the Buttermilk? I live in China right now and cannot find sour cream or Buttermilk right now, but would love to have something to substitute for sour cream. Any help would be appreciated.
Brad
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9-05-2006 @11:42AM rainey said... Brad, once upon a time I used to make créme fraîche from a dry culture that I picked up at health food stores. I haven't seen it on shelves in ages but I did a search and found this supplier: The New England Cheesemaking Supply Company, P.O. Box 85, Ashfield, MA 01330, (413) 628-3808.
It's just a packet or small box of dry powder so perhaps you could convince them that they could put some in an envelope to you. Once you have one going, as Spitzmaus said, you just tend it like a sourdough starter and you can keep it going. Alternatively, and this works with sourdough starters too, smear some on a piece of plastic and let it dry. Crumble it up to a powder and keep it in an airtight jar as your insurance.
Hope New England Cheesemaking will help you out.
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