Crème fraîche

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Containers of crème fraîche

Crème fraîche [IPA: krɛm frɛʃ] (French for "fresh cream") is a heavy cream slightly soured with bacterial culture, but not as sour or as thick as sour cream. Originally a French product, today it is available throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

[edit] Production

Crème fraîche is made by inoculating unpasteurized heavy cream with lactic acid bacteria, letting the bacteria grow until the cream is both soured and thick and then pasteurizing it to stop the process.

Thus, it cannot be made at home with pasteurized cream—the lack of bacteria in the cream will cause it to spoil instead of sour. If unpasteurized heavy cream is not available, a substitute for crème fraîche can be produced by adding 1–2 tablespoon of cultured buttermilk to two cups of pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized) heavy cream [heavy cream has a fat content between 36% and 40%] and letting the mixture stand at room temperature (leave the container ajar, and place on a high shelf in a warm part of the kitchen or on top of the refrigerator) for 8 - 24 hours until thick; to develop a fuller flavor, allow the mixture to sit an additional 12 hours.

Reserve 1-2 tablespoons creme fraiche for the next batch; to refresh the culture and keep it going, alternate the creme fraiche starter with buttermilk.

[edit] Uses

In general, crème fraîche and sour cream can be used interchangeably in most recipes, but crème fraîche has two advantages over sour cream: it can be whipped, and it will not curdle if boiled.