Crème fraîche seems to be popping up in all kinds of hip new recipes these days. The name translates literally as "fresh cream," but the crème fraîche we've seen more closely resembles sour cream or yogurt. Just what is this fancy new ingredient?
Ironically, there's actually nothing new about crème fraîche! This way of preserving leftover milk and cream has been used for centuries. Cultured with a little lactic acid bacteria and left at room temperature, cream will gradually thicken into a custard-like consistency with a slightly tangy flavor.
The same bacteria that causes the milk to thicken also creates an acidic environment that prevents the milk from spoiling. Crème fraîche stays fresh for several weeks.
You can think of crème fraîche as being somewhere between yogurt and sour cream. It generally has a higher fat content than either, so its flavor is much richer and its texture is much creamier. Good quality crème fraîche is usually less aggressively tangy than sour cream. More of the original sweet milky flavors come through.
Crème fraîche is a fantastic and versatile ingredient in the kitchen. In a broad sense, you can use crème fraîche as a substitute for yogurt, sour cream, or even mayonnaise in most recipes. Try it in potato salad or alongside some fresh fish this summer!
Because of its higher fat content, we can also heat crème fraîche to higher temperatures without fear of it curdling. This makes it a great choice for enriching a pasta sauce or soup.
And of course, crème fraîche goes very well with fruit. We like using it as a dip for a fresh fruit plate, rolling it into crêpes with fruit preserves, or spreading it into a tart shell and nestling pieces of fresh fruit on top.
Look for crème fraîche in the dairy section at gourmet food stores or places like Whole Foods. It's also very easy to make it yourself with cream and buttermilk - here's how.
How do you like to use crème fraîche?
Related: Useful Substitution: Yogurt for Sour Cream
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Crème fraîche is fantastic on a slice of apple pie. They serve it that way at DreamFarm in San Anselmo -- it's a wonderful dessert!
http://operagirlcooks.com
I love it just on top of some berries.
www.agrodolcesweetandsour.com
I've been wondering this for so long!!
It's also the best thing ever for plumping up a cheese sauce for lasagne without adding heaps more cheese and flour!
New? You're kidding, right? I guess it took a while for creme fraiche to making overseas...
It is commonly used in the same way that you use cream or sour cream.
One of my favorite breakfast treats involves creme fraiche. Toast an english muffin, schmear some creme fraiche on it, then top with thinly sliced smoked salmon. A squeeze of lemon and a few capers, and voila! Yumm!!
Two words: tarte Tatin.
Best combination ever.
I just made this potato gratin recipe from Epicurious last week. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Gratin-with-Gruyere-and-Creme-Fraiche-107310
So simple - just 3 main ingredients. Yum!
On top of blueberries drizzled with maple syrup.
In anything that uses sour cream! I never use sour cream anymore.
And also, mixing creme fraiche with goat cheese in an asparagus tart - oh.my.god.
Not exactly new, to restaurant menus at least (I'm in LA) but maybe you mean it's been popping up on more recipes?
Nevertheless, nobody has ever been able to give me a very exact definition of what the heck it it-- so, I thank you for that! NOW, I get it! (and still love it)
I make it with yogurt, not buttermilk. I just stir in a couple tablespoons into cream and let it sit out. Yummmmm.
Just a clarifying note: This post was written in response to a reader question about crème fraîche - it was a new ingredient to her, and she wanted some background info on how it's made and how best to use it.
Creme fraiche is the consistency of sour cream without the tangy-ness. It is not made with yogurt or buttermilk. It is milk-like in flavor, that is to say, sweet, not tart like other cultured dairy products.
It is thickened cream.
I scarf it down in large quantities when I am in Paris 2-3 times a year, but have yet to find any domestically manufactured product that compares.
My favorite thing to do with it is using it in scrambled eggs ala Gordon Ramsay's way. Crack a couple eggs into a large saucepan with some butter, heat up the burner, and stir, stir, stir until the eggs are thickened somewhat, then add creme fraiche and whatever else you like (Ramsay likes chives, I prefer scallions, but I've done dill and smoked salmon in this among many other variations) with some seasoning, stir it up a bit more, and serve on a toasted baguette.
But yes as tahitianpearl said, think of it as sour cream without the sour.
Wow, it wasn't clear at all from the original post that it was a reader asking about creme fraiche as a "fancy new ingredient" that pops "up in all kinds of hip new recipes." But certainly words like fancy, hip, and new stand out and seem galling when it's about something so old and classic.
@thisismycat: Plenty of recipes from the 1980s used creme fraiche and it's in MFAC & Joy of Cooking so it's been around the block here in the States too. I think maybe they just mean there are newer, more intriguing recipes using it (maybe?).
And, I agree, cream cultured with buttermilk or yogurt is more a simulacrum than actual creme fraiche but it will do the job in many a recipe.
Crema from Mexico/South America is available in any market carrying Hispanic foods. I have often used it when creme fraiche was not available.
crème fraîche is fantastic in many things but one recipe where it plays a starring role is flammekuchen/tarte flambée - it's a traditional dish from alsace and baden (the black forest). basically, it's sort of a pizza but nothing like a pizza except in form. you have a thin bready base, spread with crème fraîche and sprinkled with pieces of bacon (lardons) and onion, then baked in the oven until crisp.
it's delicious.
I use it in cooked sauces that would curdle with sour cream.
Julia Child in her book From Julia Child's Kitchen (Knopf 1977) IBSN 0-394-48071-6 has a very enlightening conversation about Creme Fraiche and why it's worth using as well as a DIY recipe for Creme Fraiche using sour cream as the fermenting agent (unlike Mastering I which uses buttermilk in the recipe). Another plus is that her recipe works with both pasteurized or unpasteurized creme
Creme fraiche made with sour cream will boil without curdling!
you can put a dollop on soup to add a little creaminess, like on a green minestrone! Or a spoonful on a risotto at the very end! yummy
http://www.chatNchow.com
Hello AT writers, we can't read your minds. I have been a little confused more than once reading articles on this site.
No matter what the background for this entry is, "new" does not apply to creme fraiche.
I just tried a new thing, mixed with marscapone it is a delicious treat with a hot pie. I think its very similar to the clotted cream that you get in the uk!
I tried it in apricot crepes. After making the crepe and placing on a plate, I spread a dollop of creme fraiche on the crepe and then spread on Bonne Mama apricot preserve. Delicious!
A previous post talked about clotted cream from the UK. That is excellent too, but sweeter.