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?

Where we ate our first night in Paris

56, bd de Latour-Maubourg, 75007 PARIS

tel 01 45 51 93 08

We had dinner at Le Bistrot du 7 ème. I am not a restaurant critic and it being our first night "in town," I was just happy to have taken a good hot shower and be in clothes other than what I wore to travel in, and was so enamored by the group I was with, that I could not be picky about the meal. Suffice to say, everything I had was delicious - from the herring entree (appetizer) to my duck main course. Our tour guide arranged for us to eat here. I enjoyed the small yet intimate room and soft lighting. The staff was very pleasant. If you want more details, check out the online reviews for this establishment ... you'll find plenty on the web.

My First Macaron in Paris

I'm back! I have returned from Paris, and this is a photo of my first macaron - it was a big one, filled with raspberry sorbet. Delicious! I am trying to get a few things in order to settle back into everyday life - so this is just a quick post to say my first trip to Paris was delightful. More later!