Crème Fraîche
Sour Cream with a Soul
If you plan to cook your own Thanksgiving dinner, you'll probably be using cream, in some form or another. There's sour cream for mashed potatoes, heavy cream to be whipped for pies, perhaps buttermilk for a dessert you're making from scratch. But, if you have crème fraîche, then you have everything you need to make these things. For Thanksgiving, Balducci's is featuring Vermont Butter and Cheese's Crème Fraîche.
Vermont Butter and Cheese can boast of being one of the first to produce crème fraîche in the United States, as the product was virtually unheard of here. However, it is so easy to make and so versatile that you'll find many uses for it.
It all begins with cream that's freshly milked from the cows and set aside so the natural lactic bacteria can take over. The result is a thick, velvety cream with a slightly tangy, nutty flavor. It's not as thick or as sour as sour cream, but it has an advantage because it can be boiled without curdling, making it ideal for cooking. That's why it's considered an essential ingredient by French chefs. Here are just a few things you can use crème fraîche for preparing:
Overall it's just a highly useful ingredient when cooking. So if it's your turn to make Thanksgiving dinner this year, stop into the dairy section and get some crème fraîche to make your holiday dinner extra luscious.
About Vermont Butter and Cheese
We're proud to feature Vermont Butter and Cheese brand because of their commitment to producing creamery products in the European Style. The company's co-founder, Allison Hooper, spent part of her college career learning about artisanal cheese making from a family of dairy farmers in Brittany, then brought her knowledge back to the U.S. Based in Websterville, Vermont, the company creates their cheeses through partnerships with neighboring farms and is committed to the health of local agriculture. Although Vermont Butter and Cheese is proud of its local contribution, they are also earning national and international recognition as well. This year, their Bonne Bouche won the title of Outstanding Cheese or Dairy Product at the New York Fancy Food show, and they won the gold for their Vermont Chevre in the 2007 World Cheese Awards.
*In France, where crème fraîche is a specialty, the cream is unpasteurized and the natural cultures are allowed to act upon it. In the United States, all cream must be pasteurized, which requires adding cultures to the cream.
If you plan to cook your own Thanksgiving dinner, you'll probably be using cream, in some form or another. There's sour cream for mashed potatoes, heavy cream to be whipped for pies, perhaps buttermilk for a dessert you're making from scratch. But, if you have crème fraîche, then you have everything you need to make these things. For Thanksgiving, Balducci's is featuring Vermont Butter and Cheese's Crème Fraîche.
Vermont Butter and Cheese can boast of being one of the first to produce crème fraîche in the United States, as the product was virtually unheard of here. However, it is so easy to make and so versatile that you'll find many uses for it.
It all begins with cream that's freshly milked from the cows and set aside so the natural lactic bacteria can take over. The result is a thick, velvety cream with a slightly tangy, nutty flavor. It's not as thick or as sour as sour cream, but it has an advantage because it can be boiled without curdling, making it ideal for cooking. That's why it's considered an essential ingredient by French chefs. Here are just a few things you can use crème fraîche for preparing:
- Mashed potatoes: Substitute for buttermilk for thick and creamy potatoes.
- Whipped cream: Whip crème fraîche and spoon it over fresh fruit, cobblers, and puddings.
- Soups and Sauces: Blend crème fraîche without separation. You can also add wine to it.
- Appetizers: It's excellent spooned onto a cracker with caviar.
- Breakfast: Substitute crème fraîche for ricotta in stuffed French toast.
Overall it's just a highly useful ingredient when cooking. So if it's your turn to make Thanksgiving dinner this year, stop into the dairy section and get some crème fraîche to make your holiday dinner extra luscious.
About Vermont Butter and Cheese
We're proud to feature Vermont Butter and Cheese brand because of their commitment to producing creamery products in the European Style. The company's co-founder, Allison Hooper, spent part of her college career learning about artisanal cheese making from a family of dairy farmers in Brittany, then brought her knowledge back to the U.S. Based in Websterville, Vermont, the company creates their cheeses through partnerships with neighboring farms and is committed to the health of local agriculture. Although Vermont Butter and Cheese is proud of its local contribution, they are also earning national and international recognition as well. This year, their Bonne Bouche won the title of Outstanding Cheese or Dairy Product at the New York Fancy Food show, and they won the gold for their Vermont Chevre in the 2007 World Cheese Awards.
*In France, where crème fraîche is a specialty, the cream is unpasteurized and the natural cultures are allowed to act upon it. In the United States, all cream must be pasteurized, which requires adding cultures to the cream.