I left work not long ago to these fatal words: “Can you do something with this? Take it.” This is exactly how I end up with so much stuff. Both my freezers are packed with things obtained in this manner, not to mention my cupboards and three large plastic totes in my dining room. Oh boy, here we go again. I can never turn down ingredients. It is a blessing and a curse and how I found myself with with two containers of crème frâiche and no plan.
Crème frâiche, pariculary that found in France, is the dairy of my dreams. It is rich, unbelievably creamy with just the slighted bit of tang … it so much better than sour cream based on that texture alone. I’ve spent quite a few summers in the French countryside and have been known to stand in front of the fridge eating crème frâiche right out of the container. At the market dairy stands, they sell a crème frâiche that blows my mind, made from local cream and thick enough to stand a spoon. In those instances, I don’t give a flip about fat. It is good. I want to eat and savor as much as I possibly can during those few short weeks. So I do.
Crème frâiche is often likened to sour cream but with a higher fat content around 30% and it doesn’t have any added thickeners as sour cream might. The flavor is a little richer and subtler than sour cream and tends to thicken as it sits. Crème frâiche also doesn’t curdle when boiled, as sour cream has a tendency to do so it’s a nice addition to sauces. While in France, I’ve been know to work it into nearly everything and once made the most beautiful pierogi dough, using crème frâiche where I’d normally use sour cream. French pierogies; they were heavenly. But today, I had a tart on my mind.
While commonpolace in France, the downside to crème frâiche in the US is it can be quite pricey. An 8 ounce container, if you can find it, runs around $5. The good news is that it’s very easy to make yourself; it is essentially cultured heavy cream. 1 cup heavy cream + 2 Tablespoons buttermilk + 12 hours room temperature = crème frâiche. It’s really that simple. Another fun fact, if you were to whip this mixture once chilled, you’ll have some pretty amazing butter. There’s a thought – check that out at some point.
Unless you’re working with raw milk and cream (and if so – lucky you!) all commercial milks and creams are pasteurized. This heat treating at various temperature and times to kill bacteria is a necessary part of today’s mass food production system. The downside is along with killing potential pathogens, all the good bacteria and flavors are killed as well but that is the world we live. Dairy can be either “pasteurized” or “ultra-pasteurized”. “Pasteurized” means that the milk has been heated to a minimum of 161°F for a minimum of 15 seconds or 145°F for 30 minutes. The shelf-life of pasteurized milk held under proper refrigeration (<45°F), can range from 12-21 days unopened.
“Ultra-Pasteurized” means that the milk is heated to a minimum of 280°F for a minimum 2 seconds. This temperature and time combination is much more lethal to bacteria, and the average shelf-life of Ultra-Pasteurized milk products increases to 30-90 days when held unopened under proper refrigeration (<45°F).
So in the name of killing all bacteria, it can be low and slow or high and quick. My problem with ultra-pasteurized cream is to my palate, there are slight “cooked notes”. When I worked for a chocolate company, we noticed that the ultra-pasteurized cream didn’t create the smoothest ganache and sometimes had slight off notes. We always used regular pasteurized cream and given a choice, I will always choose the same. Now all that being said, I am well aware that some stores only carry ultra-pasteurized cream. If that is the case, you’ll be ok. Don’t fret. It takes a little longer to thicken but it’ll get there.
And don’t fret about leaving the cream/buttermilk mixture on the kitchen counter for several hours. It needs that warm jumpstart; remember refrigeration slows fermentation down. A few hours won’t hurt and then you can pop it in the fridge where it will continue to thicken. Technically, you can use the crème frâiche after the 12 hours at room temperature but I like to leave it in the fridge for a few days to fully develop the flavor and thicken quite a bit. Sometimes, if I have the time, I’ll give it up to a week. Give it a stir every day as it will be much thicken on the top.
So now that you have this lovely substance, what do you do with it? Use it anywhere you would sour cream though it generally has a higher fat content, a richer flavor with less of an aggressive tang and a creamier texture. It works great in creamy sauces and soups, is wonderful garnishing a piece of smoked salmon and is quite nice on a slice of pie. I like adding a Tablespoon or two to whipped cream to make it a little more interesting and I really like it filling a tart, which I’ll show you in the next post. Or just spoon it into a bowl, sprinkle with brown sugar and grab some strawberries. Delicous.
STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: DO IT YOURSELF. There is nothing more annoying than going to get some specialty ingredient for a recipe that has caught your fancy and seeing the price tag. 5 bucks for a cup of thickened cream? C’mon. Not to mention, crème frâiche is hard to find. I’ve really only seen the bright pink tubs from Vermont Creamery in specialty stores and now that Land Of Lakes has purchased the company, who knows what will happen in terms of quality and distribution. It is always a good thing to know how to do something yourself. And excess crème frâiche is never really a problem if you have fresh strawberries and brown sugar around.
Eight years ago: Roasted Tomato & Asparagus Quiche
Seven years ago: Bleu Mont Dairy
Six years ago: Roasted Garlic Potatoes, Homemade Crème Eggs
Five years ago: Popovers & Strawberry Butter
Four years ago: Wine Country Adventures
Three years ago: Guinness Crème Anglaise
Two years ago: Flourless Chocolate Cookies
Last year: Raspberry Speculoos Frangipane Tart
HOMEMADE CRÈME FRAICHE
If you have the choice, choose pasteurized over ultra-pasteurized cream.
Makes about 1 cup
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons buttermilk
- Combine the cream buttermilk in a glass container.
- Cover and let stand at room temperature (about 70°F) from 8-24 hours, or until very thick.
- Stir well before covering and refrigerate up to 10 days. The crème frâiche will continue to thicken as it sits.
STRESSCAKE 
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