You’ve seen it on menus, you’ve read it in recipes, but, with its French name
and “chef-y” connotations, it may still be a bit intimidating: creme fraiche.
Pronounced “krem fresh,” it is lightly fermented heavy cream. It is kind of like
sour cream, but not as thick and more sharp than sour, with a slightly nutty
flavor and a silky, rich texture. The French discovered it long ago. As cheese
guru Steven Jenkins told The New York Times: “It’s one of the most extraordinary
substances in the world of dairy, of gastronomy. To compare it to American sour
cream is to compare Spam to foie gras.”
Chefs – particularly those who are classically trained – love creme fraiche
because it won’t curdle when heated or when combined with acidic ingredients
such as wine or lemon juice. In Normandy and other dairy-rich regions of France,
home cooks fling it about with abandon, swirling it into soups, using it as a
topping on fruits, and incorporating it into pastries. It is now made in the
United States and available in many supermarkets and specialty stores, and it
may be time for home cooks here to embrace it.
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