I made these recently due to the lemon thread - I made my own lemon curd. They were great.

I know there's ways to make creme fraiche, but you should be able to find it if you have a slightly higher end grocery by you. I can't find it in the generic supermarkets either, but upscale markets like Whole Foods should.

sapphires, I finally found Creame Fraiche at Whole Foods, but had major sticker shock at the price. Epicurious has a recipe for making it, which I always do now, when I make the Lemon Cream Sandwiches. Here it is:

Crème Fraiche
(krehm Fresh)

This matured, thickened cream has a slightly tangy, nutty flavor and velvety rich texture. The thickness of crème fraiche can range from that of commercial sour cream to almost as solid as room-temperature margarine. In France, where crème fraiche is a specialty, the cream is unpasteurized and therefore contains the bacteria necessary to thicken it naturally. In America, where all commercial cream is Pastuerized, the fermenting agents necessary for crème fraiche can be obtained by adding butter or sour cream. A very expensive America facsimile of creame fraiche is sold in some gourmet markets. The expense seems frivolous, however, when itÂs so easy to make an equally delicious version at home. To do so, combine 1 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk in a glass container. Cover and let stand at room temperature (about 70 degrees F) from 8 to 24 hours, or until very thick. Stir well before covering and refrigerate up to 10 days. Crème fraiche is the ideal addition for sauces or soups because it can be boiled without curdling. ItÂs delicious spooned over fresh fruit or other desserts such as warm cobblers or puddings.

Makes about 1 cup.
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk
Combine 1 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk in a glass container. Cover and let stand at room temperature (about 70°F) from 8 to 24 hours, or until very thick. Stir well before covering and refrigerate up to 10 days.

From Epicurious

I always make my own Creme Fraiche, very easy, and tastes great but you need to make it about 36 hours in advance.

Creme Fraiche 1
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup dairy sour cream

Whisk together in a bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in the kitchen overnight or until thickened.

Cover and refrigerate 24 hours. The longer it sits the tarter it gets. Will keep for 7 days

I prefer the above recipe but here is another that works well. Both are from the Silver Palate

Creme Fraiche 2

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons buttermilk

Pour the cream and the buttermilk into a glass jar. Cover and hake for 1 minute. Let stand in a warm place until thickened, at least 12 hours (overnight). Stir well and refrigerate for 24 hours. Will keep 7 days

I've used the buttermilk one.
Tastes yummy.

And try to find cream that has not been ultra-pasteurized.

Chase - What do your stores charge for creme fraiche? 8oz tub goes for $3.19 here. 8oz each heavy cream plus sour cream would cost me $5.60, so 2.80 for 8oz; hardly seems worth the effort to make it.

As for the buttermilk method, I HATE when a recipe calls for buttermilk. It only comes in quarts here and I never know what to do with the leftovers!

Foodonastump,

I can only find Creme Fraiche at Whole Foods and it's close to 7.99. I generally just make 1 cup not two so the rest of the cream and sour cream gets used for something else.PS: Absolutely agree about buttermilk which is why I use the first recipe.

Great thread, thanks for posting! I am definitely going to make some creme fraiche now that I have some direction.

I can get half-pints of buttermilk, is there a major difference in flavor vs. the sour cream recipe?

I also keep powdered buttermilk on hand. Could this be used?

Linda

Trader Joes carries it.

Linda, I've never tried using powdered buttermilk. I know it's good in a pinch for some recipes, although I prefer to use fresh buttermilk for something like creme fraiche that is pure...dairy. I would use the powdered for cakes or breads, though!

Linda I would not use the powdered buttermilk, I just don;t think you would get the texture you want.

As I said , I prefer the first recipe because of the buttermilk but I would not say there is a big difference in the taste or texture.

Great, thanks!

Linda