Creme Fraiche....made AT HOME???

Why pay out the wazoo for things you can make AT HOME?!?!?! After living and shopping on the German economy for almost 4 years, one can get quite accustomed to having gourmet/organic cooking ingredients at your fingertips. I miss being able to go down to the local markets to buy...at very reasonable prices: warm brotchen, fresh flutes (baguettes), shinken, light Gouda and Lasiter cheese, krauterbuter, Lurpak and Kerrygold butter, fleur de sel, truffle oil, mascarpone, creme fraiche, organic vegetables, fruits and herbs...etc., etc., etc.!

Now my reality is living in rural-ish Oklahoma and not having much access to many of these. When I have been able to locate some of these items....it's at a premium! There is always the internet you might say....but that means shipping costs...which means something that is already expensive is even more so. Ugh! Sooo, I decided that I am not going to miss out on all my faves from Germany. I am going to start making some of these things at home. One item that I am most pleased to make is....CREME FRAICHE! It is surprisingly easy to do. Anyone could do it!! Plus, it saves me an arm and a leg. You have no idea how happy I am that I can make this in my home. I have been unable to find it locally. I would have to drive to either Wichita Falls (45 mins) or Oklahoma City (1 1/2hr) to purchase it. I got used to cooking with it overseas. I would mix it with fresh dill to use on Smoked Salmon, spoon it into soups, and blend with herbs for dips. My most favorite food using creme fraiche....

 

FLAMMKUCHEN!!!
MMmmMMM Flaaaammmkuckennn!
(eyes roll back)
OHHH YES, you delicious little tarte flambe, you! I WILL be making you very soon!! And I will slowly savor your creamy, salty, oniony goodness like never before!!!!
(shakes head to return from my Alsatian dreamland)

Ahhh yes, back to my story! I made this creme fraiche for a Pumpkin Soup recipe that a friend of mine shared. The Pumpkin Soup recipe is from the Hoffest Hitscherhof (scroll to the bottom for English). This farm is located near Massweiler, Germany. The town has been around for 700 years. They have a huge craft, food and family fun fair in September to mark the Autumn Equinox. When my son and I went there, we ate the Flammkuchen, of course! We should have tried the soup as we soon found that we had really missed something delicious! I have heard numerous raves about their soup and really, really wanted to try it. Thank you Tephanie for sharing!

 

I made two versions of creme fraiche. One slightly thick and one slightly thin. You can see the difference on the double spoons pic.

Recipe for THIN:

1TBS Yogurt (I used greek) and 1 cup of heavy cream.

FOR THICK:

2TBS Yogurt (same greek) and 1 cup of heavy cream.

 

Mix well in jar. Cover with clean cloth (to keep the bugs out, but allow air) and leave out on the counter or warm spot overnight (between 12-24 hours depending on how tangy you like it). The pics here are shown at about 16 hours. When they are to your liking, cover with lid or press and seal. Refrigerate. These will keep up to 10 days in the fridge. On one of the jars, I have a brown area. I sat the jars on my stove to warm them up and start the process. It was a little chilly last night and my cream was cold out of the fridge. I had just broiled dinner so I thought I'd set them up there to gently heat (the top of the stove didn't feel that hot..lol). Wrongo! The immense heat still coming up from the stove vent scorched the cream in the area that was closest to the hot air. THANKFULLY, it did not affect the flavor of the creme. Here are the results.

PUMPKIN SOUP AND FLAMMKUCHEN...HERE I COME! :)

The thin one is on the left and the thick is on the right.

Thinner one.

The consistency. It slowly dripped off of the spoon.

Thicker one.

Consistency. It stayed put on the spoon.

Here you can see the difference.



 

 

With love, from my kitchen to yours....