Crème Fraîche

Serves: 250 ml (1 cup)

Nowadays easily available in most European countries, it's a bit more difficult to obtain in the US. Crème fraîche is a heavy cream slightly soured with bacterial culture, but not as sour or as thick as sour cream. Mixing heavy cream (called double cream in the UK) and sour cream is a rather poor substitute as you will not get the tangy flavor of crème fraîche, which is exactly what we are after.

Crème fraîche is a cultured cream, which not only adds great flavor, but has a longer shelf live than heavy cream. It can be cooked at a higher temperature than sour cream without curdling. Here in France we add a spoonfull to sauces, soups, or anything that requires a bit of creamy flavor. We spoon a little bit over grilled vegetables, salads or anything where its tangy taste can enhance the dish. In the Provence we use it more sparingly than in the rest of France due to our Mediterranean culinary heritage, which is low on dairy products.

Preparation:

In a glass, plastic or stainless steel container (anything non-reactive) stir together 3 parts heavy cream and 1 part plain yogurt. Try to obatin a good quality natural yogurt with live acidophilus cultures- the low fat variety is ok. I once used buttermilk instead of yogurt but the the result was rather mediocre. For a container holding 250 ml (1 cup) use a couple of good spoonfulls of yogurt. Mix it well, cover it and put it in a warm, shaddy place. It needs to stay warm for at least 12 hours at a constant temperature so the cultures can develop. When the consistency is creamy and thick, put it in the fridge - it should keep for at least a week or two.