Thursday, July 2, 2009

Crème Fraîche

Crème Fraîche is a cultured dairy product. In America it's a specialty product and you pay dearly for the French label. The quickest work-around is to buy Crema Mexicana ( Crema Agria, Crema Español, Crema Fresca), available in just about any big box grocer. The drawback to these commercial products is their standardization. If the pH (tang), viscosity and fat content are what your recipe needs, you're home free. If not, you can make your own.

Take whipping cream, half & half or industrial cream ( used in commercial kitchens with about 2% more butterfat than whipping cream ) and warm it to 89°F. This is baby bottle warm. Add two tablespoons of buttermilk per cup of cream. You can also buy a culture, but again, cost comes into play. Cover your warmed bowl, pot or container with plastic, let it sit at room temperature for eight hours, then pop it into the fridge. Wait a day or two for everything to meld and there you are.

Advantages: Crème Fraîche has some flavor.(it won't fix canned green beans, however) Unlike sour cream or yogurt, it won't break in a sauce or when heated. It can be whipped, think topping on a savory. If drained, ( cheesecloth and colander ) it makes a fresh cheese similar to Mascarpone.

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