Commonly used in cooking and in the case of Mascarpone, regularly in desserts, this is an easy product to make yourself at home. Often shop bought sour cream or Crème Fraîche can be fairly boring, bland to the taste and a bit lacking in the flavour department.
So what is it? Crème Fraîche (fresh cream in French) is a thick cultured cream that has been soured using a culture to produce a tasty, slightly soured cream. It has excellent thickening properties and is great in soups, curries and other sauces.
Crème Fraîche differs slightly from soured cream in that it tends to have a higher fat content - around 30% as opposed to 20% and is thicker than soured cream. Its higher fat content means that it is less likely to curdle. Soured cream is more acidic and has more of a tang to it, which makes it more suitable for savoury dishes.
Mascarpone is thicker still and is technically a cheese rather than a cream. It has a slightly sweet flavour making it better for desserts and is commonly used in Tiramisu. Personally I enjoy Marscarpone with figs and Marsala wine -delicious!
How to make Crème Fraîche:
You’ll need a sour cream culture such as XPL-30:
XPL-30 - click here to purchase
And also some double cream - 500ml to a litre. If you have a pH meter or pH papers then you will get better results as you are looking for a finished pH of 4.7. First, stand a bowl of cream in the sink and add warm water to the sink. You want to get the temperature of the cream up to 25°C. Add a very small pinch of the culture, stir in well, cover and leave for about 10-12 hours. Stir well, then check every few hours until you get a pH of 4.7. Add cold water to the sink to stall the acidity process and then refrigerate.
To make Mascarpone, copy this process but then strain through a colander lined with a cheesecloth - put this over a bowl in the fridge and leave for 24 hours. Enjoy!
Disposable cheese cloth - click here to purchase
FAQs
While sour cream and crème fraîche are thick, tangy cultured dairy products, mascarpone is not cultured. It has about 48 percent fat content and is creamier than crème fraîche or sour cream.
What is the difference between mascarpone and crème fraîche? ›
How Do Mascarpone and Crème Fraîche Differ? Mascarpone and crème fraîche, a French cultured cream, share a rich, creamy consistency. However, crème fraîche is more acidic and has a 30-percent fat content (compared to 50 to 85 percent fat content in mascarpone), which results in a lighter, thinner cream.
What is the difference between soured cream and crème fraîche? ›
The flavor of crème fraîche is slightly less tangy than sour cream but the texture tends to be thicker, and the taste overall is richer because it gets about 90% of its calories from fat. Unsurprisingly, crème fraîche is French for "fresh cream." Crème fraîche is phonetically pronounced "krem fresh" in English.
What's the difference between sour cream and mascarpone? ›
ROSE REPLY: sour cream has 18 to 20% fat. mascarpone a has about 55% fat so it will be richer and also not quite as light, but it should make a very nice variation.
What is crème fraîche in the USA? ›
Crème fraîche (pronounced "krem fresh") is a version of sour cream with a higher fat content, which makes it good for cooking because it is less prone to curdling when you simmer it. While it looks similar to sour cream, crème fraîche is thicker, richer, and tastes less tangy than sour cream.
Are soured cream and sour cream the same? ›
Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream.
What is crème fraîche closest to? ›
The Best Crème Fraiche Substitute
Crème fraiche and sour cream are alike in a lot of ways and they can be substituted on a 1:1 ratio (if your recipe calls for ½ cup crème fraiche, use ½ cup sour cream).
Does Trader Joe's sell crème fraîche? ›
Trader Joe's Crème Fraîche Review, $3.99 - Trader Joe's List.
Can I buy crème fraîche? ›
Buy your favorite Creme Fraiche online with Instacart. Order Creme Fraiche from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
What can you use instead of soured cream? ›
- Yogurt. Yogurt is your best substitute for sour cream. ...
- Mayonnaise. Mayo is a great sour cream substitute. ...
- Buttermilk. Buttermilk can work great as a substitute, but it's a little trickier since it's so much thinner than sour cream. ...
- Crème Fraîche. ...
- Cream Cheese. ...
- DIY Sour Cream. ...
- Kefir. ...
- Mexican Crema.
Sour cream can be used as a mascarpone replacement in equal quantities (1:1 ratio) in savory recipes, but be sure to use full-fat sour cream as low fat versions contain way too much water.
What is the closest cheese to mascarpone? ›
In This Article:
- Crème Fraîche.
- Sour Cream.
- Ricotta Cheese.
- Cream Cheese.
- Greek Yogurt.
- Cottage Cheese.
- Silken Tofu.
- Cashew Cream.
Is Philadelphia cream cheese mascarpone? No marscapone and cream cheese are completely different. There are cases where one may be substituted for the other but as a general rule you should use the ingredient the recipe calls for; otherwise you will end up with a similar but still completely different result.
Can I substitute mascarpone for crème fraîche? ›
Mascarpone is a luxuriously creamy soft cheese, with a fat content of up to 75%. It can be substituted for crème frâiche at a ratio of 1:1 for a richer, more decadent version of your dish, although it lacks the acidity to work as a raising agent.
What is the English name for crème fraîche? ›
A literal translation of crème fraîche is "fresh cream." However, in French-speaking countries, crème fraîche may refer to either: (A) the thick fermented product, crème fraîche épaisse or fermentée, or (B) a liquid cream, crème fraîche liquide or fleurette.
Can I use ricotta instead of crème fraîche? ›
Ricotta Cheese
Of course, other options on my list might come in handy in recipes where the crème fraîche tang is the MVP. Otherwise, this Italian cheese works just fine as a 1:1 substitute. The only thing to keep in mind is its grainy and lumpy texture, which might end up with a different result.
Can I substitute mascarpone for creme fresh? ›
Mascarpone is a luxuriously creamy soft cheese, with a fat content of up to 75%. It can be substituted for crème frâiche at a ratio of 1:1 for a richer, more decadent version of your dish, although it lacks the acidity to work as a raising agent.
Is Philadelphia cream cheese the same as crème fraîche? ›
Cream cheese is tangy and creamy like crème fraîche, but it's much denser. If you're using it in a dip, you'll need to thin it out with milk or another creamy dairy product. Cream cheese can't be drizzled or dolloped either, so it won't work well as a topping.
Is ricotta the same as crème fraîche? ›
You can think of crème frâiche as a French equivalent of sour cream. But because crème fraiche is not quite as sour as sour cream, and is creamier and richer, thanks to a higher fat content, it can work as a substitute for ricotta in dishes where the main thing you are going for is a luscious, creamy consistency.
Can I use mascarpone instead of fresh cream? ›
Not only can it be used as a cream substitute, but mascarpone can be even better to use in cooking than other heavy cream alternatives because it's both thicker and sweeter. Since mascarpone has a similar flavor profile to fresh cream and cream cheese, it works well in various sweet and savory recipes.
