crème fraîche Homemade crème fraîche

What is the difference between heavy cream, sour cream, creme fraiche? Here are the explanations!

Milk contains about 3-4% fat. When milk has just been milked, this fat is hold into small globules that are in suspension in milk liquid. After some time, those globules, lighter than water, rise to the surface: this is cream. In the dairy industry, cream is often extracted from the milk by centrifugation. If you are used to drink raw milk or non homogenized pasteurized milk then you have already seen or tasted this layer of cream on top of the milk. This cream is called heavy cream. Half-and-half and light cream just correspond to cream with less fat. Cream is generally sold pasteurized (mandatory in the US).

Sour cream or creme fraiche refers to heavy cream that has been fermented. Fermentation thickens the cream and allows to keep it longer.

Ingredients

  • 50cL of heavy cream (freshest as possible, check the best-buy date)
  • 5ml (or a small spoon) of kefir or fermented milk (clabber or buttermilk)

Material

  • a bowl

Duration

1min, and then from 10h to 24h waiting

Recipe

1.Mix the cream with the ferment. Be sure that your ferment is active (feed it about 12h-24h before using).

crème fraiche

2.Let the bowl at room temperature during 12h to 24h. The cream will thicken faster if the temperature is higher. After 10h, if the cream is thick, start tasting. If you like the taste and texture, it is ready! Otherwise wait a bit longer.

crème fraiche

3.When ready, keep it in the fridge up to 10 days.