Crème fraiche adds a rich creaminess to soups, pasta sauces, and pan sauces, as well as dressings and dips. It can be dolloped on fresh fruit, puddings, crisps and other desserts. Spread on toast or scones or used in baked goods. Because of its high fat content, creme fraiche does not curdle when boiled, which makes it great for use as a thickener in sauces and soups.
Crème Fraiche can also be used to make cultured whipped cream and/or cultured butter.
- 2 cups heavy cream 35% (cream works too, but you can’t make whipped cream with it)
- 2-4 Tbsp of your chosen culture (see below)
- Combine the cream and culture in a glass jar. Place a finger-tight lid on top.
- Leave at room temperature for 8-24 hours. The longer you leave it, the tangier it will be.
- Once it is thick and creamy it is ready to put in the fridge. It will continue to thicken in the fridge.
- If you are using yogurt as your culture, you will need to stick it under the light in the oven (oven turned OFF).
- 8-12 hours is ideal if you plan to make whipped cream with it.
You can store creme fraiche in the fridge for a week to two weeks. As with homemade yogurt, how long you can keep it depends on the freshness of the ingredients used when making it.
The longer you keep it, the more it will separate, just like yogurt. If the flavor starts to taste a little off, throw it out. If you see mold get rid of it.
Cultures That Can Be Used:
Buttermilk – ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) of Cultured Buttermilk. Culture for approximately 12 hours and up to 24 hours on countertop.
Milk Kefir – 2 Tbsp of Kefir Milk. Culture for approximately 8-12 hours.
Mesophilic Yogurt Culture – 2 Tbsp Homemade Yogurt (not store bought). Culture for 12-24 hours under the oven pilot light.
Sour Cream (fermented store bought or homemade) – ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) Cultured Sour Cream. Culture 12 hours.
Crème fraiche – 2-4 Tbsp
Other Cultures - 1 package Cream Cheese starter culture OR 1/8 tsp Mesophilic starter culture).