Crème fraiche

File:Strawberries and crème fraîche.jpg

Strawberries and crème fraiche

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Chilled asparagus soup with crème fraiche and pink peppercorn

Crème fraiche (French pronunciation: [kʁɛm fʁɛʃ], "fresh cream"; from French crème fraîche) is a soured cream containing about 28% butterfat and with a pH of around 4.5. It is soured with bacterial culture, but is thicker, and less sour than sour cream.

Originally a French product, it is available in many countries. It is traditional to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia.

Production

Crème fraiche is produced by a process similar to that of sour cream. Each processing step requires attention to maintain high viscosity. It can be made at home by adding a small amount of cultured buttermilk or sour cream to heavy cream, and allowing it to stand for several hours at room temperature until the bacterial cultures act on the cream.

History

File:Raspberries with crème fraîche and sugar.jpg

Raspberries with crème fraiche and sugar.

Crème fraiche was originally produced in Normandy, a geographical region along the coast of France south of the English Channel. The crème fraiche from a defined area around the town of Isigny-sur-Mer in the Calvados department of Normandy is still highly regarded. However, it is now produced in many other parts of France, with large quantities coming from the major dairy regions of Britanny, Poitou-Charente, Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne.

Uses

Crème fraiche is particularly useful in finishing sauces in French cooking because it does not curdle. However, "light" crème fraiche with a low fat content curdles when heated.

Crème fraiche is a substitute for sour cream.

Similar products

Clabber is a similar food made in the Southern United States. Crema Mexicana is a cultured sour cream, often sold in supermarket dairy aisles in regions where crème fraiche is unavailable.

Sources

• H. McGee On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of The Kitchen (p. 49). New York: Scribner, 2004. ISBN 0-078-60901-4.
• Y. Hiu Handbook of Food Science, Technology and Engineering (p. 179-6 to 179-7). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2006. ISBN 0-8493-9849-5.af:Crème fraîche

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