Tried to make _crème fraîche_ and failed. Ideas?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #1

Has anyone else tried to make crème fraîche at home? I came across the recipe, which is basically a cup of heavy cream and two tablespoons of buttermilk. Let sit for 12-24 hours, then refrigerate. I tried it, and only a small amount of the cream thickened. What do you think I did wrong?

My speculations are:

  • The cream wasn’t quite at room temperature.
  • I didn’t warm the buttermilk.
  • The cream is bad (except that it tastes fine).
  • The buttermilk is bad or doesn’t have active culture (how do you tell? there’s nothing on the carton).
  • Twenty-four hours isn’t long enough.

I’d love the benefit of others’ experience, here. One recipe suggested a couple of tablespoons of live-culture yoghurt instead of buttermilk, and another suggested two tablespoons of lemon juice. What do you think?

Oh—one recipe (but only the one), suggested heating the cream to 85°, presumably Fahrenheit, not Celsius. Should I have?

#2

I’ve never tried to make crème fraîche but have tired clotted cream (not totally successfully). I learned that not all creams are alike. Some are ‘ultra pasteurized’ , some just ‘pasteurized’ and then there is raw milk/cream. No chance of getting anything raw for reasonable price in my location however. There are also differing levels of fat in creams.

I don’t know which would be best for crème fraiche, but I’d wager the problem is the cream itself, not the recipe.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

One of the recipe sites did mention that in France, they don’t pasturize the cream, so they don’t even have to put a culture in it; it just thickens on its own (French bread doesn’t have any yeast, either; it just picks up yeast floating in the bakery’s air). I’m not sure what they said about the difference between pasteurized and ultra-pasteurized, so I’ll check into that, thanks!

At least all that cream isn’t going to go to waste, whether it’s suitable for crème fraiche or not, lol!

#4

I vaguely remember Julia Child years ago saying you couldn’t get crème fraîche here and you could substitute something or other for it. I would have thought if it was easy to make with US ingredients, she would have done it. But this recollection is decades old, so take it with a grain of salt.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #5

There’s a dairy in Maine (or Vermont) that makes it now, and I believe the stuff I found in the local supermarket was imported. It’s tasty stuff, and with just a bit of Truvia in it, it makes a great dessert topping.

(Jean Taylor) #6

I’ve looked at those recipes myself but never tried it. My thoughts would be that your buttermilk did have them though or it wouldn’t have thickened at all. That said it’s possible it didn’t have many left and that’s why it didn’t thicken as much as you hoped.

I would guess you’re on the right track with the temperature. I’d try making sure your cream is room temp and heating the buttermilk like it said. You might also look into what temperature “room temperature” is actually expected to be, especially if you’re only of those people that like living in an icebox. It’s entirely possible if your house or the area you set the cream is too cold that all you need to do is adjust the thermostat or move it someplace that stays warmer.

I’ve keep finding myself at culturesforhealth.com lately though I havent actually bought anything yet. So naturally i had to poke my nose back over there and look. They do have a buttermilk starter and it says 70-77 degrees. Their actual creme fraiche starter is direct set and says 72-77 degrees. The do say pasteurized is ok but not ultra-pasteurized or UHT products. And heavy cream is fine.

All that said, I’ve never made anything cultured I find it interesting but I’m not sure I trust myself that much…

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

Wow! Thanks for the link, Jean! I’ve bookmarked it and will be checking it out more thoroughly when I have time. I’ve been wanting to make my own yoghurt for some time now. I found some double-cream (heavy cream) yoghurt in the supermarket that they had bought by accident (and are unwilling ever to stock again, even on request), and it was heavenly. This site is giving me ideas . . . .

(Jean Taylor) #8

No problem. Like I said I’ve never actually bought anything from them though. I’ve just been stalking them a while I guess. Lol

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #9

To work in the time frame, your temp needs to be between 65 and 75, and not over 85 (that’s apparently where the proper bacteria dies).

I wonder if your buttermilk had died.

(Jane Reed) #10

In another thread it was suggested to mix commercial sour cream with liquid cream. That’s what I do and I’ve never had a failure, regardless of the quality of cream I use.

Anymore I don’t measure but I would guess I use 2 measuring tablespoons to 2 cups of cream. Mix well. Cover loosely and leave on countertop until firm, 2-3 days depending on the temperature inside your house.
A gentle shake will tell you if the product has “gelled”.

I originally purchased very expensive crepe fraiche from Trader Joe’s. I expected the flavor to be quite mild but, no, it had a slightly sour taste, although pleasant enough. I used some to create a batch of my own, and that batch tasted a little sour. When comparing that batch to one I have made with commercial sour cream as a starter, the latter is a little bit more sour, but not enough to make a difference to me.

You can use your homemade creme fraiche as starter for future batches.

(M C) #11

Like others said be sure your temperature is warm but not too warm 70-75 F. Also you said only part of your cream thickened. Did you add the buttermilk and shake the bottle to mix it or stir it in any way? If not that is likely why only part of it clotted. I usually leave mine a minimum of 24 hours sometimes it takes longer if the room is really cool.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #12

I suspect the cream may have been too cold. Also, all the cream in this area seems to be ultra-pasteurized, which may be part of the problem. And while the local whole foods store does carry a small amount of raw milk (mostly skim), it doesn’t carry heavy cream at all. (“Don’t you know that stuff will kill you? Let me get you some nice soy milk!”) Guess I’ll have to look around for a local farm that sells raw dairy.

(Jane Reed) #13

As stated in my post, the quality of the cream I used has never been the cause of a failure. Often I’ve used Walmart’s brand which is ultra pasteurized and full of additives. It still works.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #14

That’s helpful, @Buttonwillow. I will stop worrying about the cream’s being ultra-pasteurized, which I have very little power over, and try making sure it’s not too cold, which I can certainly do, lol! :bacon: