Homemade Crème Fraîche

This recipe comes from the book "Breakfast in Bed," by Jesse Ziff Cool.

According to Jesse, crème fraîche is traditionally made with buttermilk, but Julia Child discovered years ago that blending sour cream with heavy cream produces the same results.

Martha Stewart and others use crème fraîche frequently. I seldom see it in the dairy case in the grocery stores. The history of crème fraîche can be found here.

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream

Stir the heavy cream and sour cream together in a saucepan. Heat it over medium heat just until it's slightly warm to the touch (about 90 degrees), about 3 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a clean ceramic bowl, cover it with a cloth, and put it in a warm spot--a place where you would put bread dough to rise--for about 8 hours. Refrigerate it overnight. The thickening will continue as it cools, and the creme will be ready to eat in the morning. It will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Use crème fraîche in place of whipped cream for fresh fruits. It can be used as a topping for some soups and in some casseroles.

Another recipe for creme fraiche here.

Homemade Crème Fraîche

Crème fraîche is very easy to make at home. Below is a recipe and whilst it takes a while to make, it’s certainly worth giving it a try.

Preparation time: 8-14 hours

Ingredients

240ml/8fl.oz. Double/Whipping Cream
2 tbsp Buttermilk

Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a glass bowl, mix well, cover, and leave to stand at room temperature (about 70 degrees F.) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened. Stir well, cover with clingfilm, refrigerate and use within 10 days.