The Scoop on Dairy: Cultured Creams
Iβm wrapping up our dairy food series with a primer onΒ cultured creams.Β
Cultured cream simply means any cream, light, heavy orΒ half-and-half, that goes through fermentation with beneficial bacteria. The one most familiar to Americans is sour cream.Β Others include crΓ¨me fraiche and crema. Although not a cultured cream, Iβve included Quark in this blog. Itβs one of those products that doesnβt quite fit into anyΒ category.Β
Β Sour CreamΒ
- Tangy with a rich,Β creamy texture, sour cream is made by addingΒ eitherΒ a bacterial culture or an acid toΒ creamΒ that containsΒ at least 18% fat. Both processes thicken and flavor the cream, creating a delicious product with hundreds of familiar uses.Β
- Reduced-fatΒ and fat–freeΒ sour creamsΒ are produced like full-fat, exceptΒ they startΒ with half-and-halfΒ to make reduced-fatΒ andΒ skim milk to makeΒ fat free. TheseΒ lower-fat versions use stabilizers to maintain the classic creamy texture of regular sour cream.Β
- Use sour cream in chilled dips and spreads or add it to baked products for richness. For hot soups or sauces, stabilize the sour cream by whisking flour directly into it before cooking. Alternatively, wait and stir the sour cream intoΒ aΒ hot mixture after removingΒ itΒ from the heat.Β
CrΓ¨me FraicheΒ
- Nutty and tangy,Β crΓ¨meΒ fraiche is thicker, higher fat (about 30%) andΒ less tartΒ than sour cream.Β
- MixΒ crΓ¨me fraicheΒ with fresh herbs or citrus peel and serveΒ itΒ with meats or smoked fish.Β WhiskΒ it into scrambled eggsΒ or hot saucesΒ forΒ addedΒ richness. Due to its high fat and low protein content, curdling is not an issueΒ when heating crΓ¨me fraiche.Β
- Sour cream makes a good substituteΒ for crΓ¨me fraicheΒ in mostΒ recipes, butΒ remember to stabilize it before heating.Β
CremaΒ
- Often used to balance spicy flavors in Mexican cooking, crema tastes sweeter and has a thinner consistency thanΒ eitherΒ crΓ¨me fraiche or sour cream.Β
- UseΒ cremaΒ to top fresh fruit or to cool the heat on savory dishes.Β
- CrΓ¨me fraiche thinned with a little lime juice is the best substitute for crema, but sour cream also works.Β
QuarkΒ
- Firm, creamy and delicious, quark is made by heatingΒ whole, low fat or skimΒ sourΒ milk until it curdles. The curdsΒ are strained, creatingΒ a mild, creamy spread.Β Technically, itβs aΒ spoonable, soft cheese, but the taste, texture and nutrient content (low in fat and high in protein)Β areΒ more like thick yogurt.Β
- Spread quark on toast or bagels, fill crepes with it or use it like Greek yogurt. In recipes, thick plainΒ Greek yogurt works well as a substitute.Β
- Make Homemade Quark with our recipe!