Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

Today I was looking up a recipes for Potatoes Au Gratin for something a bit
different and found Creme Fraiche in several recipes. I don't have any here
and am too dang lazy to go get some so I was checking my substitutions. A
variety of substitute suggestions in various recipes said heavy cream, one
said sour cream can be used almost interchangeably with craime fraiche,
full-fat sour cream or yogurt might be acceptable though not perfect , a
homemade recipe requires a purchased culture or heating cream/buttermilk
heated then stored in a container at room temp for 24 hours. I realize I
should just go buy some but after a week of being terrbly ill I am lucky to
feel like a bit of cooking. So, best substitution? most like creme fraiche?
I have heavy cream, sour cream, cream cheese, milk, evaporated milk,
probably a couple of other things I'm not remembering right now.

Thanks for any suggestions/guidance.

Cindi

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

Cindi - HappyMamatoThree > wrote in
message ...
> Today I was looking up a recipes for Potatoes Au Gratin
> for something a bit different and found Creme Fraiche in
> several recipes. I don't have any here and am too dang
> lazy to go get some so I was checking my substitutions. A
> variety of substitute suggestions in various recipes said
> heavy cream, one said sour cream can be used almost
> interchangeably with craime fraiche, full-fat sour cream
> or yogurt might be acceptable though not perfect , a
> homemade recipe requires a purchased culture or heating
> cream/buttermilk heated then stored in a container at
> room temp for 24 hours. I realize I should just go buy
> some but after a week of being terrbly ill I am lucky to
> feel like a bit of cooking. So, best substitution? most
> like creme fraiche? I have heavy cream, sour cream,
> cream cheese, milk, evaporated milk, probably a couple
> of other things I'm not remembering right now.
>
> Thanks for any suggestions/guidance.

Sour cream is going to lend a tart flavoring to the gratin, heavy
cream will add a more solid-bulk-fat taste for the tongue but be
pretty bland, and yogurt (Russian not Greek) will be "closest" to
creme Fraiche in taste and texture.

I'd not hesitate to add yogurt if I didn't have creme fraiche but
all four of the females in Clan Ranger can taste the "sour" in sour
cream so I've been substituting yogurt and creme fraiche in my
stroganoff for the last few years.

The Ranger

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

>
> I'd not hesitate to add yogurt if I didn't have creme fraiche but
> all four of the females in Clan Ranger can taste the "sour" in sour
> cream so I've been substituting yogurt and creme fraiche in my
> stroganoff for the last few years.

For this I am very sorry Ranger, sour cream is just one of those things that
everyone should like. Alas the two junior short boys in this family don't
like it. The youngest also hates whipped cream and I had no idea there would
be a child born, at least of my genes, who could hate whipped cream.

Thanks for the advice.

Cindi

>
> The Ranger
>
>

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

Cindi - HappyMamatoThree > wrote:

> So, best substitution? most like creme fraiche?

Crème fraîche is cultured cream; sour cream is cultured cream. Ergo,
they are one and the same. Any differences are in gradation of acidity,
texture, fat content, and any additives - and that depends entirely on
the producer and perhaps also the particular labelling laws or customs
in a given locality. In America, the commercial sour cream I
encountered tended to be fairly thick in texture, almost firm, and not
particularly sour. It was not all that much different from crème
fraîche. In Russia, it would generally be the other way around, with
sour cream tending to be semi-liquid, pourable, and rather more tangy.
The same thing is also true in Germany. I can well imagine artisanal
American producers offering something similar. Considering that you are
making a potato gratin, I would not hesitate to substitute sour cream in
any case.

That said, here is a suggestion by Patricia Wells, in her _Bistro
Cooking_. The reasons are lost on me, but here it is.

Victor

Crème Fraîche

2 cups (50 cl) heavy cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk

1. Thoroughly mix the cream and buttermilk in a medium-size bowl. Cover
with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature overnight or until
fairly thick.
2. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 4 hours to thicken it even
more. The cream may be stored for several days, as the tangy flavor
continues to develop.
Yield: 2 cups (50 cl)

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:35:20 GMT, "Cindi - HappyMamatoThree"
> wrote:

>>
>> I'd not hesitate to add yogurt if I didn't have creme fraiche but
>> all four of the females in Clan Ranger can taste the "sour" in sour
>> cream so I've been substituting yogurt and creme fraiche in my
>> stroganoff for the last few years.
>
>For this I am very sorry Ranger, sour cream is just one of those things that
>everyone should like. Alas the two junior short boys in this family don't
>like it. The youngest also hates whipped cream and I had no idea there would
>be a child born, at least of my genes, who could hate whipped cream.
>

OMG! A *BOY* who doesn't like whipped cream? As a concerned mom, you
*must* introduce him to the joy of squirting whipped cream from a can
directly into his mouth. It's a male rite of passage (usually
performed around age 3 by their fathers). You may be able to change
his mind after his initiation ceremony.

;)

--
See return address to reply by email

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 23:54:27 +0100, (Victor Sack)
wrote:

>Cindi - HappyMamatoThree > wrote:
>
>> So, best substitution? most like creme fraiche?
>
>In America, the commercial sour cream I
>encountered tended to be fairly thick in texture, almost firm, and not
>particularly sour. It was not all that much different from crème
>fraîche.

You're saying crème fraîche is more sour than commercial American sour
cream, but our sour cream is thicker than crème fraîche? Stir our
sour cream and get back to me about thickness. IMO, crème fraîche is
mellower than our sour cream, but I've only eaten it a couple of
times, so I'm not an expert.


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Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

Cindi - HappyMamatoThree wrote:
> >
> > I'd not hesitate to add yogurt if I didn't have creme fraiche but
> > all four of the females in Clan Ranger can taste the "sour" in sour
> > cream so I've been substituting yogurt and creme fraiche in my
> > stroganoff for the last few years.
>
> For this I am very sorry Ranger, sour cream is just one of those things that
> everyone should like.

Regular American sour cream. You can have my share. Mexican sour
cream that is more like creme fraiche, yum.>
> Cindi
>
> >
> > The Ranger
> >
--Bryan

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

The Ranger wrote:

> all four of the females in Clan Ranger can taste the "sour" in sour
> cream so I've been substituting yogurt and creme fraiche in my
> stroganoff for the last few years.
>
> The Ranger
>
>

Hmmmm...yogurt is a lot more sour tasting to me than sour cream.

gloria p

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

sf wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 23:54:27 +0100, (Victor
Sack) wrote:
> > Cindi - HappyMamatoThree > wrote:
> >
> > > So, best substitution? most like creme fraiche?
> >
> > In America, the commercial sour cream I
> > encountered tended to be fairly thick in texture,
> > almost firm, and not particularly sour. It was
> > not all that much different from crème fraîche.
>
> You're saying crème fraîche is more sour than
> commercial American sour cream, but our sour
> cream is thicker than crème fraîche? Stir our sour
> cream and get back to me about thickness.
> IMO, crème fraîche is mellower than our sour
> cream, but I've only eaten it a couple of times,
> so I'm not an expert.

I'd also say that American sour cream is thicker (and more sour)
than creme fraiche. The six different brands I've tried attest to
this. I prefer a local dairy farm's version since it's both thick
and much-reduced in sour.

The Ranger

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

Food Snob > wrote in message
ps.com...
[snip]
> Regular American sour cream.

Is too over-powering for some. Creme fraiche is much milder and
uninvolved with dishes.

> Mexican sour cream that is more like creme fraiche,
> yum.

Could you recommend a specific brand, please? My Mexican markets
don't seem to sell any Mexican sour cream.

The Ranger

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

Puester > wrote in message
...
> The Ranger wrote:
> > all four of the females in Clan Ranger can taste the
> > "sour" in sour cream so I've been substituting yogurt
> > and creme fraiche in my stroganoff for the last
> > few years.
> >
> Hmmmm...yogurt is a lot more sour tasting to me
> than sour cream.
>
Greek, yes; Russian, no. I don't know the ingredient differences but
the daughter-units can tell if I sub on over the other.

Must be Greek to me!

The Ranger

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

Cindi - HappyMamatoThree wrote:
> Today I was looking up a recipes for Potatoes Au Gratin for something
> a bit different and found Creme Fraiche in several recipes. I don't
> have any here and am too dang lazy to go get some so I was checking
> my substitutions. A variety of substitute suggestions in various
> recipes said heavy cream, one said sour cream can be used almost
> interchangeably with craime fraiche, full-fat sour cream or yogurt
> might be acceptable though not perfect , a homemade recipe requires a
> purchased culture or heating cream/buttermilk heated then stored in a
> container at room temp for 24 hours. I realize I should just go buy
> some but after a week of being terrbly ill I am lucky to feel like a
> bit of cooking. So, best substitution? most like creme fraiche? I
> have heavy cream, sour cream, cream cheese, milk, evaporated milk,
> probably a couple of other things I'm not remembering right now.
> Thanks for any suggestions/guidance.
>
> Cindi

Firstly, forget the cream cheese, milk, and evaporated milk.

Your only real options are heavy cream and sour cream.

It depends what you are going to do with it. Sour cream is most like creme
fraiche in taste, BUT sour cream cannot be boiled: it separates. Creme
fraiche and heavy cream can be boiled. So if you are adding it to something
that may be warmed to at most a simmer, you can use sour cream. If you are
going to boil it, use heavy cream . You can also use some combination of the
two: either sour cream folded into whipped cream (good with fruit as a creme
fraiche substitute), or heavy cream to cook with, with a bit of sour cream
stirred in at the end for a bit of tang.

Substitution Confusion (Creme Fraiche)
 

The Ranger wrote:
>
> I'd also say that American sour cream is thicker (and more sour)
> than creme fraiche. The six different brands I've tried attest to
> this. I prefer a local dairy farm's version since it's both thick
> and much-reduced in sour.

Dpends on the fat content. In DK we have mainly 3 grades of fatness: 38%
(very thick), 18% (like greek/turkish yogurt), and 9-12% (depending on
brand), which is like our yoghurt.
I mainly use 18%. Sometimes 38%. Never 9-12%.

I think that you can get a nice creme fraiche by whipping up some heavy
cream and stirring that into sour cream and let the flavors blend
together in the fridge the rest of the day.


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