Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Yes, You CAN Make Crème Fraîche

Waltzing around Paris, there are so many interesting places to eat - after all, didn't the Parisians invent the restaurant? So I've heard it said. So what's to eat? I promised my next post wouldn't be about my handmade cards - it would be food-related. Since I am a woman of my word, here goes.

When I was in Paris last September with my group tour, one of our daytime activities was a trip to a suburb outside of the city where we attended a  cooking demonstration and wine tasting in a private home. One of the recipes that was prepared for us before our eyes was a delicious puff pastry filled with veggies and cheese, and it called for crème fraîche (fresh cream) - which is essentially (per Wikipedia) and I think Julia Child would attest, "... a soured creamcontaining about 28% butterfat and with a pH of around 4.5 .... soured with bacterial culture, but is thicker, and less sour than sour cream." During the cooking demonstration, this ingredient was whipped out of a jar that was, we were told, purchased at a market. I asked, "Isn't there a recipe for crème fraîche?" (I seemed to remember seeing it in a cookbook once.)
"Oh, noooooo ..."


Oh, yeeeessss! For Christmas, my brother gifted me with this little gem:
And lo and behold, here is the recipe ...
Now, my only problem: where to get that not ultra-pasteurized cream - the health food store?

Question to French-inspired cooks here: Have you ever made this? Would you make it? I am planning to do this in the Spring. Want to try it with me?