Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?

I don't have any grocery near that sells it...so I make my own.

1 pt heavy cream
1 tb buttermilk

Keep in warm place for 36 hours. Naturally thickens with a wonderful
nutty flavor.

"Mr. Bill" > wrote:

> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?

I buy Mexican Crema. I have some int he fridge right now (using it
to make jalapeno crema salsa).

-sw

Mr. Bill > wrote in message
...
> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?

That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it. I use such
minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy cream would be unfortunate.

The Ranger

Christine > wrote in message
news
> How does that compare to Creme Fraiche?

There is no difference -- especially in taste -- except in price... As you
might already be thinking, the Mexican crema fresco is cheaper.

The Ranger

"The Ranger" > wrote in message
. ..
> Mr. Bill > wrote in message
> ...
>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>
> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it. I use such
> minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy cream would be unfortunate.
>

Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy. No local
store carry it here.

Ed Pawlowski > wrote in message
...
> "The Ranger" > wrote in message
> . ..
>> Mr. Bill > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>>
>> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it.
>> I use such minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy
>> cream would be unfortunate.
>>
> Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy.
> No local store carry it here.

All three national grocery (Safeway, Raley's, and Albertson's) chains carry
it in the dairy section, right next to the sour cream. Granted, it's often
tucked at the top of the displays and there only seems to be one choice but
if my white-bread-basic-stores have it, I'd be willing to bet other stores
carry it, too.

The Ranger

On Sun, 03 May 2009 02:59:41 -0600, Christine Dabney
> shouted from the highest rooftop:

>Believe me SFBA folks..you don't realize how good you have it...

I haven't had the pleasure of visiting SFBA in far too many years. But
I remember my numerous visits during the 60's, 70's and 80's in terms
of fantastic restaurant and cafe food ... amongst other things. And I
look forward to introducing my wife to all this great food when we
visit friends in Bodega Bay - hopefully later this year.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

The Ranger > wrote:

> Christine > wrote in message
> news
>> How does that compare to Creme Fraiche?
>
> There is no difference -- especially in taste -- except in price... As you
> might already be thinking, the Mexican crema fresco is cheaper.

It's about 3.50-$4.00 A pint. You can sometimes find it on sale for
$3/pint. Same with their mexican sour crema - which is also
superior to anything else.

I don't understand why American-style sour cream costs $1.29/pint
when the main ingredient there is the same as mexican crema.

It's sometimes hard to har to tell the difference between the
Mexican SOUR creams and non-sour. My current jar from Cacique is
labeled "Grade A Table Cream". "Agria" means sour, but not all sour
creams are labeled that way.

Most Mexican markets around here sell it in the deli in bulk trays.
It's slightly cheaper there.

-sw

Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> "The Ranger" > wrote in message
> . ..
>> Mr. Bill > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>>
>> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it. I use such
>> minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy cream would be unfortunate.
>
> Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy. No local
> store carry it here.

I've heard it's impossible to make with Ultra-Pasteurized cream.
And that's all I have access to around he the UP cream.

-sw

The Ranger > wrote:

> Ed Pawlowski > wrote in message
> ...
>> "The Ranger" > wrote in message
>> . ..
>>> Mr. Bill > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>>>
>>> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it.
>>> I use such minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy
>>> cream would be unfortunate.
>>>
>> Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy.
>> No local store carry it here.
>
> All three national grocery (Safeway, Raley's, and Albertson's) chains carry
> it in the dairy section, right next to the sour cream. Granted, it's often
> tucked at the top of the displays and there only seems to be one choice but
> if my white-bread-basic-stores have it, I'd be willing to bet other stores
> carry it, too.

None of the main-line stores around here have it. Only the upscale
Central Market (where it's $8/pint). But we have a huge selection
of the Mexican stuff.

-sw

-sw

Christine Dabney > wrote:

> Believe me SFBA folks..you don't realize how good you have it...

They pay a heck of a lot more for groceries than I do here in
Central TX. And I think our selections are just as good for
White-bread food.

-sw

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
>
> "The Ranger" > wrote in message
> . ..
>> Mr. Bill > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>>
>> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it. I use such
>> minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy cream would be unfortunate.
>>
>
> Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy. No local
> store carry it here.
>

Ed, don't you just love it when people say, "oh, just get it [wherever]"?
(Usually there's a Trader Joe's somewhere in that sentence LOL) Not all
grocery stores are the same.

Jill

Christine Dabney wrote:

> Yeah, but those are white-bread-basic-stores-in-the-SFBA... Totally
> different than the same type of stores a lot of other places....and
> especially different from those types of stores out in the boondocks.

I have at two stores in Podunk Georgia that sell it. I suspect a lot of
people are oblivious to it if it is tucked in the corners of the dairy
department or in the cheese shop, yet it is out there.

Goomba wrote:
> Christine Dabney wrote:
>
>> Yeah, but those are white-bread-basic-stores-in-the-SFBA... Totally
>> different than the same type of stores a lot of other places....and
>> especially different from those types of stores out in the boondocks.
>
> I have at two stores in Podunk Georgia that sell it. I suspect a lot
> of people are oblivious to it if it is tucked in the corners of the
> dairy department or in the cheese shop, yet it is out there.

I picked it up at Wegman's (a nice supermarket chain up here) once,
of all days, I needed it the day before Thanksgiving. Not a day you
want to be standing around looking for something! The store was
mobbed. I wanted it to top Jill's butternut squash soup that I was
bringing to my brother's the next day.

I finally cornered an employee who told me what case to look in.
The case that has all the special butters (like Kerrygold). Still
took me a while to find it.

This product is practically incognito. It doesn't jump out at you.
Still, I'd be shocked if my local supermarket carries it. Guess
I'll have to ask.

nancy

"The Ranger" > wrote in message
>>>
>> Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy.
>> No local store carry it here.
>
> All three national grocery (Safeway, Raley's, and Albertson's) chains
> carry it in the dairy section, right next to the sour cream. Granted, it's
> often tucked at the top of the displays and there only seems to be one
> choice but if my white-bread-basic-stores have it, I'd be willing to bet
> other stores carry it, too.
>
> The Ranger

I'll take that bet, at least here in CT. We don't have those stores in or
area. Stop & Shop, Price Chopper, two different Whole Foods, and a couple
of others do not carry it. I have to go to the Mediterranean Market in
Worcester for it.

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
>>
>
> Ed, don't you just love it when people say, "oh, just get it [wherever]"?
> (Usually there's a Trader Joe's somewhere in that sentence LOL) Not all
> grocery stores are the same.
>
> Jill

I've not tried TJ's, but that makes it a 70 mile round trip. We can get
white bread locally though!

On Sun, 3 May 2009 00:51:28 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" >
wrote:

>
>"The Ranger" > wrote in message
. ..
>> Mr. Bill > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>>
>> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it. I use such
>> minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy cream would be unfortunate.
>>
>
>Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy. No local
>store carry it here.

I know exactly what you mean. I'ts a 45 mile round trip for me.
This is how I make Creme Fraiche.
Since it's equal amounts I make half a recipe or even less depending
on what I need.
The cream freezes great and the sour cream never goes to waste.
>
@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Creme Fraiche

sauces/dips

1 cup heavy cream; not ultra pasteurized
1 cup sour cream

Whisk the heavy cream and sour cream together in a bowl. Cover loosely
with plastic wrap and let stand in the kitchen or other reasonably
warm spot overnight, or until thickened. In cold weather this may take
as long as 24 hours.

Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, after which the creme fraice
will be quite thick. The tart flavor will continue to develop as the
creme fraice sits in the refrigerator.

Notes: The Silver Palate cookbook

Yield: 2 cups


** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.84 **

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 04/26

Christine Dabney > wrote:

> On Sun, 3 May 2009 05:36:57 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
>>Christine Dabney > wrote:
>>
>>> Believe me SFBA folks..you don't realize how good you have it...
>>
>>They pay a heck of a lot more for groceries than I do here in
>>Central TX. And I think our selections are just as good for
>>White-bread food.
>
> Parts of the bay area have more expensive groceries. I will continue
> to disagree about some areas... If one shops in the Berkeley/Oakland
> area, it is possible to get groceries very inexpensively. Places like
> Berkeley Bowl, Monterey Market, Grocery Outlet, Oakland Chinatown can
> have ridicoulously low prices.
>
> But yeah, if one shops in places like Andronicos, Draegers, and some
> of the other stores like that, the grocery bill can be astronomical.
> It's the same with the various farmers markets. If one shops at the
> Ferry Plaza market the prices can be pretty high. But go to the
> Alemany Market, and the prices are way low....

The regular prices at Safeway and Lucky's are ridiculous when
compared to HEB in Central Texas. I suspect our Central Mart's and
Whole Food's prices are similar to Andronicos and Draegers (but it's
been years since I went to either of those two).

-sw

Christine Dabney > wrote:

> I will be going to various markets around here today, and will take a
> look. I might be able to find it in Sunflower, but not in the other
> chains, except for Whole Foods.

Our Sunflower market (called "Newflower" market in Texas) doesn't
carry it.

I like Sunflower/Newflower for only a few things. Most of their
house-branded bottled marinated/pickled veggies and shrooms are
downright terrible. I do buy their Sweet Roasted Peppers (the one
with the black lid, _not_ the silver/gold lid - big difference),
And their Giardinara, but everything else I've bought in the same
category sucks royally).

-sw

The Ranger wrote re creme fraiche:

> All three national grocery (Safeway, Raley's, and Albertson's) chains carry
> it in the dairy section, right next to the sour cream. Granted, it's often
> tucked at the top of the displays and there only seems to be one choice but
> if my white-bread-basic-stores have it, I'd be willing to bet other stores
> carry it, too.

Albertson's in this are (SLC) doesn't carry it. Nor do the Kroger
stores. A couple of stores in one local chain has it in its specialty
cheese section, but the managers of that location tell me that, echoing
the fate of the store's gourmet olive bar, creme fraiche will no longer
be carried once what is in stock sells/dates out. It was a nice idea and
for a brief while a good seller among foodies, but even the most avid
seem to have swung back to lower cost plain yogurt and sour cream.

Local Mexican markets have a product that is identical and far less
expensive, but people don't seem to have discovered that yet.

jmcquown > wrote:

> I just got back from the grocery store (Publix). I specifically looked for
> crème fraîche because of this thread. I studied the whole aisle around
> where they sell sour cream, cottage cheese, ricotta and other fresh dairy
> products. Sorry, no crème fraîche. And this is a fairly upscale grocery
> store.

I've seen it at Bi-Lo, of all places.

-sw

koko > wrote:

> Creme Fraiche
>
> sauces/dips
>
> 1 cup heavy cream; not ultra pasteurized
> 1 cup sour cream
>
> Whisk the heavy cream and sour cream together in a bowl. Cover loosely
> with plastic wrap and let stand in the kitchen or other reasonably
> warm spot overnight, or until thickened. In cold weather this may take
> as long as 24 hours.
>
> Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, after which the creme fraice
> will be quite thick. The tart flavor will continue to develop as the
> creme fraice sits in the refrigerator.

This sounds like a recipe for sour cream.

-sw

jmcquown > wrote in message
...
> I just got back from the grocery store (Publix). I specifically
> looked for crème fraîche because of this thread. I studied
> the whole aisle around where they sell sour cream, cottage
> cheese, ricotta and other fresh dairy products. Sorry, no
> crème fraîche. And this is a fairly upscale grocery store.

Did you A-S-K and employee? I've only been to one Publix (many years ago)
and it was a good experience. Out in the west of the Mississippi, Publix
hasn't seemed to have made it's mark yet.

The Ranger

Ed Pawlowski > wrote in message
...
[snip]
> I'll take that bet, at least here in CT. We don't have those
> stores in or area. Stop & Shop, Price Chopper, two
> different Whole Foods, and a couple of others do not
> carry it. I have to go to the Mediterranean Market in Worcester for it.

Whole Foods didn't have it? I've never been to a Stop-n-Shop or Price
Chopper so I don't know what to compare them to. My local Italian Grocer
carries two brands, though, so maybe a deli near you might?

The Ranger

"The Ranger" > wrote in message
ndwidth...
> Ed Pawlowski > wrote in message
> ...
> [snip]
>> I'll take that bet, at least here in CT. We don't have those
>> stores in or area. Stop & Shop, Price Chopper, two
>> different Whole Foods, and a couple of others do not
>> carry it. I have to go to the Mediterranean Market in Worcester for it.
>
> Whole Foods didn't have it? I've never been to a Stop-n-Shop or Price
> Chopper so I don't know what to compare them to. My local Italian Grocer
> carries two brands, though, so maybe a deli near you might?
>
> The Ranger

The deli near me is the one that is 30 miles away. Our local supermarkets
carry things like chicken, ground beef, and Wonder bread. Anything more
exotic is 30 miles north or 30 miles east or 45 miles west. And well worth
the trip.

This is one of the places I go
http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/worces...arket/15478852

Rye bread from here
http://www.widoffsbakery.iworksweb.com/

Italian foods here
http://www.tonyscolonial.com/
http://www.vendaravioli.com/


People that live in big city areas don't comprehend what small town New
England is like. When I lived in Philly, there were three Italian bakeries
in walking distance. The Polish bakery was about 4 miles. Nothing like
that near me.

On May 2, 7:58*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
> "Mr. Bill" > wrote:
> > Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche? *
>
> I buy Mexican Crema.

I love that stuff. Unfortunately, it seems to always have a short
time until its "use by" date. It's *so* much better than American
sour cream.
>
> -sw

--Bryan listen @ http://www.MySpace.com/TheBonobos

"The 1960's called. They want their recipe back."
--Steve Wertz in rec.food.cooking 4-20-2009

Lin wrote:

> It was a lovely birthday and Bob has spoiled me rotten yet again. Of
> course, he doesn't need a holiday or event to do that. It just comes
> naturally for him. ;-)

Thanks for the story. And Happy Birthday, Lin!

nancy

Hi nancy, you wrote:

> Thanks for the story. And Happy Birthday, Lin!

Thank you! I recommend that everyone leave their heart in San Francisco
at least once in their lives!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6d03gbmAzc

--Lin

Lin said...

> Hi nancy, you wrote:
>
>> Thanks for the story. And Happy Birthday, Lin!
>
> Thank you! I recommend that everyone leave their heart in San Francisco
> at least once in their lives!
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6d03gbmAzc
>
> --Lin


Lin,

Great song!

I left my heart AND my wallet in San Francisco! <VBG>

Best,

Andy
--
HONK if I'm paying YOUR mortgage!

Steve wrote:

> I've heard it's impossible to make with Ultra-Pasteurized cream.
> And that's all I have access to around he the UP cream.

You heard wrong. As long as your buttermilk has active cultures, you can add
it to ultrapasteurized cream and it will colonize it into crème fraîche just
fine.

Bob

Christine Dabney > wrote in message
...
[snip]
> Believe it or not, the rest of the country is NOT
> like the SFBA. [..]

I understood what you posted prior but there _are_ corporate standards
(decries from their versions of the Ivory Towers On-High) within the major
chains that don't allow for much play (i.e. independent thought) by store
management.

That said, the differences in my travels have brought me some wonderful
differences that cannot be obtained in the SFBA. Hatch chiles being just one
such item but there are many others.

The Ranger

On May 2, 11:29*pm, "The Ranger" > wrote:
> Mr. Bill > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>
> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it. I use such
> minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy cream would be unfortunate.

They don't sell it in half pints where you live?
>
> The Ranger

--Bryan http://www.flickr.com/photos/15522299@N08/?saved=1

koko wrote:

> Creme Fraiche
>
> sauces/dips
>
> 1 cup heavy cream; not ultra pasteurized
> 1 cup sour cream

My aunt made it with cream and buttermilk or yogurt, but never with
cream and sour cream.

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> None of the main-line stores around here have it. Only the upscale
> Central Market (where it's $8/pint). But we have a huge selection
> of the Mexican stuff.
>
> -sw

Steve, what is it called?
I'm not familiar with it nor have I tried it in all the years I've lived
here. I'm always up for an education. :-)
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

On Sun, 03 May 2009 19:06:40 -0600, Pennyaline
> wrote:

>My aunt made it with cream and buttermilk or yogurt, but never with
>cream and sour cream.

Yep.....cup of cream, 1 tablespoon buttermilk is all you need.

On Mon, 04 May 2009 00:53:08 -0600, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>it does have a slightly sourish tang..but not
>quite like sour cream. Slightly milder. I wonder if this one is like
>Creme Fraiche?

I think Crème Fraîche has more of a nutty flavor than a sour
tang....but tasting is such a personal thing. That might be exactly
what YOU taste.

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Steve wrote:
>
>> I've heard it's impossible to make with Ultra-Pasteurized cream.
>> And that's all I have access to around he the UP cream.
>
> You heard wrong. As long as your buttermilk has active cultures, you can add
> it to ultrapasteurized cream and it will colonize it into crème fraîche just
> fine.
>
> Bob

Creme Fraiche manufacturers are very protective of their cultures I've
read. And the flavor of good creme fraiche versus amazing creme fraiche
depends on that culture. Sooooo.. can't I make my own creme fraiche
using a tablespoon or two of a good commercial creme fraiche instead of
sour cream and get a delicious batch cheaper?

Goomba wrote:

> Creme Fraiche manufacturers are very protective of their cultures I've
> read. And the flavor of good creme fraiche versus amazing creme fraiche
> depends on that culture. Sooooo.. can't I make my own creme fraiche using
> a tablespoon or two of a good commercial creme fraiche instead of sour
> cream and get a delicious batch cheaper?

Assuming that the commercial crème fraîche still has active cultures, that
ought to be possible. The manufacturers might pasteurize their product at
the point where it has what they consider optimal flavor, though.

That being said, I'm perfectly happy making crème fraîche from buttermilk
and cream.

Bob

On Sun, 3 May 2009 10:19:44 -0700, The Ranger wrote:

> jmcquown > wrote in message
> ...
>> I just got back from the grocery store (Publix). I specifically
>> looked for crème fraîche because of this thread. I studied
>> the whole aisle around where they sell sour cream, cottage
>> cheese, ricotta and other fresh dairy products. Sorry, no
>> crème fraîche. And this is a fairly upscale grocery store.
>
> Did you A-S-K and employee?

the allegedly male trait of never asking for directions seems to have found
near-universal application in grocery stores. (i will plead guilty as
well.)

your pal,
blake

On Sun, 3 May 2009 10:58:27 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

> Christine Dabney > wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 3 May 2009 05:36:57 -0500, Sqwertz >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Christine Dabney > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Believe me SFBA folks..you don't realize how good you have it...
>>>
>>>They pay a heck of a lot more for groceries than I do here in
>>>Central TX. And I think our selections are just as good for
>>>White-bread food.
>>
>> Parts of the bay area have more expensive groceries. I will continue
>> to disagree about some areas... If one shops in the Berkeley/Oakland
>> area, it is possible to get groceries very inexpensively. Places like
>> Berkeley Bowl, Monterey Market, Grocery Outlet, Oakland Chinatown can
>> have ridicoulously low prices.
>>
>> But yeah, if one shops in places like Andronicos, Draegers, and some
>> of the other stores like that, the grocery bill can be astronomical.
>> It's the same with the various farmers markets. If one shops at the
>> Ferry Plaza market the prices can be pretty high. But go to the
>> Alemany Market, and the prices are way low....
>
> The regular prices at Safeway and Lucky's are ridiculous when
> compared to HEB in Central Texas. I suspect our Central Mart's and
> Whole Food's prices are similar to Andronicos and Draegers (but it's
> been years since I went to either of those two).
>
> -sw

to be honest with you, i find almost all prices quoted here on the group to
be almost outlandishly cheap compared to the d.c area.

(cue some snide comment about bureaucrats.)

your pal,
blake