Lab recipebeginnerdraft
Making crème fraîche
Also searched as: crème fraîche, homemade sour cream, making creme fraiche
In short: Cream with a splash of buttermilk turns thick and mildly tangy overnight at room temperature.
Picture it
Like a sourdough for cream: a spoonful of the old starts the new.
You need · 12–24 hours
- 250 ml double cream
- 2 tbsp buttermilk with live cultures
- clean jar
Step by step: what happens
- 1Stir cream and buttermilk together in the jar
The buttermilk brings lactic acid bacteria.
- 2Cover and leave at room temperature for 12–24 hours
The bacteria make lactic acid, which thickens the protein in the , along with typical buttery aromas.
Lactic acid fermentation - 3Once it is thick, chill it
Cold slows the bacteria and makes it firmer still.
Result
About 250 ml of crème fraîche.
Keeps for
Up to about a month in the fridge.
What to use it for
- For sauces: it does not curdle when boiled, because it has so much fat.
- On tarte flambée, with soups, with desserts.
Related entries
Sources · 2
- America’s Test Kitchen: Crème fraîche
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004)