When you’re in the mood to savor something rich and creamy, a dollop of crème fraîche can satisfy your strongest cravings. This rich, cultured cream elevates the simplest of dishes by adding luxurious texture, creamy consistency, and delightfully tangy flavor. Crème fraîche shines in both sweet and savory dishes – its slightly acidic edge adds a brightness that balances the sweetness in desserts and cuts through the rich sauces of some savory dishes. Whether you’re swirling it into soups, dolloping it in on desserts, or mixing it into sauces, crème fraîche makes any dish feel a bit more decadent.
While its cultured, creamy nature suggests a fresh cheese, crème fraîche actually belongs in the realm of fermented dairy products like yogurt, sour cream, and buttermilk. Cheese is made by using rennet or enzymes to coagulate milk, and crème fraîche is simply cultured with lactic acid bacteria to achieve a thick, velvety consistency. This difference places crème fraîche squarely outside the cheese family, though many cheese lovers are obsessed with its rich texture and depth of flavor.
While you won’t find many Wisconsin cheesemakers dabbling in crème fraîche, our state produces plenty of award-winning fresh cheeses. Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese makes a farmstead mascarpone that’s crafted from sweet, fresh cream. You can also find loads of freshly made, squeaky cheese curds from The Cheese Brothers. Our fresh offerings also include creamy quark from Clock Shadow Creamery, and award-winning burrata, mozzarella, and stracciatella from BelGioioso. When it comes to sampling all the best fresh cheese and young cheese in the world, you’ll find almost everything your heart desires in Wisconsin.
Crème fraîche, which is French for “fresh cream,” is a thick, cultured cream made by souring cream from cow’s milk with a bacterial culture. It has a nutty, acidic, slightly sweet flavor and a fat content of around 30%. When compared to sour cream, crème fraîche has a less sour taste and a thicker, more luxurious mouthfeel.
Crème fraîche is typically used as a condiment or a thickener in appetizers, entrées, and desserts. Because of its low protein and high fat content, crème fraîche won’t curdle when it’s added to hot dishes as a thickener. Crème fraîche is believed to have originated in Normandy, an area of France famous for its dairy products. Today it is one of the country’s most beloved dairy products, along with cheeses like brie, fromage blanc, comté, and roquefort cheese.
The recipe for making crème fraîche is simple and only requires heavy whipping cream and buttermilk or the liquid skimmed from the top of yogurt. A small amount of buttermilk is stirred into the heavy cream. The mixture can be gently heated to speed up the culturing process, but it’s not required. After the mixture is covered, leave it to stand at room temperature for 12-24 hours, until the consistency reaches the desired thickness and creaminess. Crème fraîche should be refrigerated at least 24 hours before serving.
If you’re fresh out of crème fraîche and can’t wait 24 hours to make your own, you can try some of these excellent cultured milk or cheese substitutes.
Crème fraîche is truly a culinary chameleon. Here are a few ways to incorporate this versatile ingredient:
When enjoying crème fraîche as a condiment or as a part of a sauce, you’ll want to choose beverages that will complement the rich, zesty profile without overwhelming the palate.
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No, while both are cultured creams, crème fraîche has a higher fat content and a milder, less sour flavor than sour cream. It’s also more stable under heat, making it better for cooking.
Yes, in many recipes, crème fraîche can be a great substitute for heavy cream, adding extra depth of flavor. Keep in mind that it’s tangier than plain cream, which may alter the dish’s taste slightly.
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