Pseudo Crème Fraîche Recipe
By
Regan Burns
Total Time:
10 mins, plus overnight thickening
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Active Time:
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Makes:
About 1 cup
It’s easy to make a homemade version of France’s sour cream. The end result isn’t exactly the same as the real thing, but it’s still perfect for drizzling over finished dishes or desserts, and for enriching sauces. Use anywhere you would use regular sour cream. We like it in our Smoked Trout Crostini.
What to buy:
For this recipe, it’s important to use heavy cream that has not been ultra-pasteurized; go with pasteurized, or use raw cream if you can find it. Look for organic, whole-milk plain yogurt. Most organic brands that have “cream on top” are more fluid because they contain fewer stabilizers.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup pasteurized or raw heavy cream (do not use ultra-pasteurized)
- 2 tablespoons whole-milk plain yogurt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat until just warm, around 85°F.
- Remove from heat and stir in the yogurt. Place in a warm place to thicken for at least 12 hours. (We found that inside the oven with the light left on works perfectly!)
- Once thickened, store the crème fraîche in a covered container in the refrigerator.
SInce this is one of the classic recipes for producing creme fraiche (who would want to sub this for sour cream?) minus about 72 hours, what's the big deal? This is a bacterial process that is not predictable--even less than wine fermentation, which it resembles--and I'm glad some have gotten good results here.
But overheat this just a bit, and all of the cultures you want to encourage are gone...+READ
SInce this is one of the classic recipes for producing creme fraiche (who would want to sub this for sour cream?) minus about 72 hours, what's the big deal? This is a bacterial process that is not predictable--even less than wine fermentation, which it resembles--and I'm glad some have gotten good results here.
But overheat this just a bit, and all of the cultures you want to encourage are gone forever.-COLLAPSE
Wrong culture, wrong flavor--just like all the domestic "crème fraîche" on the market. Unfortunately the real thing from France is no longer available in the US since they've started enforcing the ban on unaged raw-milk products.
I haven't tried it, but I suspect the "crème fraîche" culture sold by New England Cheesemaking Supply isn't right, since it's close to the same mix of cultures as their...+READ
Wrong culture, wrong flavor--just like all the domestic "crème fraîche" on the market. Unfortunately the real thing from France is no longer available in the US since they've started enforcing the ban on unaged raw-milk products.
I haven't tried it, but I suspect the "crème fraîche" culture sold by New England Cheesemaking Supply isn't right, since it's close to the same mix of cultures as their buttermilk starter, and if you try to make crème fraîche using buttermilk, it doesn't taste right, either.-COLLAPSE