Crème Fraîche

By Julia Moskin

Total Time
10 minutes, plus 12 hours to 2 days to thicken and separate
Rating
4(119)
Comments
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Crème fraîche can do anything sour cream does, more elegantly — serve it with caviar, drizzle on tacos, or dollop on berries. In fact, it's better than sour cream because it doesn't break at high temperatures: whisk a little into simmering sauces and soups to add tangy richness.

Featured in: D.I.Y. Cooking Handbook

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Ingredients

  • Buttermilk
  • Heavy cream, the best you can find, not ultra-pasteurized
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a bowl, whisk together 1 part buttermilk with 8 parts of heavy cream. (For example, ¼ cup buttermilk to 2 cups cream.) Cover the bowl and leave it at room temperature for 12 hours to 2 days, until it thickens and separates. Whisk together and transfer to a container; refrigerate, tightly covered.

Ratings

4 out of 5
119 user ratings
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Comments

Jeff B

I used ultra-pasteurized cream and local buttermilk containing butter flakes and, after 72 hours on the counter (the room was 71 degrees F), it came out perfectly. This will be my go-to recipe whenever sour cream is called-for.

JoBales

I've made this several times. Here in the south, it's usually well developed after about 24 hours and always turned out great! So easy to make too.

StilettosintheKitchen

I keep this as a starter, thanks to Paula Wolfert of Cooking with NYT: To make more crème fraîche, use 2 tablespoons from the last batch and add it to a cup of cream. You can continue making more this way. After six months or so, a slightly fermented taste may develop, in which case it is time to start a new batch

Ryck Birch

I concur on using some from the last batch to make the next. I've usually started the first batch with buttermilk and heavy cream. I leave that mixture out over night. If it hasn't thicked up yet, give it a stir and leave it out for the day. I've found that subsequent batches thicken up much faster as the culture learns what to do... exactly like sourdough starter. 2 tablespoons of the last batch mixed in well with the new cream does it.

Gui

This is exactly same as my family's recipe. However, we do not cover the bowl with an airtight lid, but rather with cheesecloth, which lets the curdling breath while keeping the undesirables out. In New Orleans with our moist, warm air, " la crème fraîche est prête en 8 heures ! " For the non-Francophone, "it is ready in 8 hours!"

StilettosintheKitchen

I keep this as a starter, thanks to Paula Wolfert of Cooking with NYT: To make more crème fraîche, use 2 tablespoons from the last batch and add it to a cup of cream. You can continue making more this way. After six months or so, a slightly fermented taste may develop, in which case it is time to start a new batch

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