Keto Creme Fraiche

Keto Creme Fraiche.  I would bet my bottom dollar you have seen this as an ingredient for many recipes and the recipe usually caveats it with “you can use sour cream as a substitute”.  If you have been guilty of this, um yeah, me too.  If you tested crème fraîche and sour cream side by side you would see, but more importantly taste, the difference immediately. Without any sugar what-so-ever crème fraîche tastes a bit sweet with a little tang thrown in.  Sour cream is not sweet in any way nor does it give the same mouth feel as that of crème fraîche which is made with heavy cream.   Honestly I didn’t make crème fraîche for years but I started making and eating it awhile ago and now of course I pretty much have it in the refrigerator all the time.  This may sound like a sickness to you but I can and do eat this stuff by the spoonfuls…all at once.  I think when you see how easy keto creme fraiche is, you will make, use, and keep it in your own fridge. Here is one recipe using it Stuffed Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast, here is another Fish Tostadas On Cheese Crisps and as I get others posted I will list them here.  Best thing of all-crème fraîche clocks in at nearly zero carbs.  Yes, high fat but no carbs. Keto Creme Fraiche can be substituted in any recipe imaginable that uses sour cream. Think Beef Stroganoff.  Because of the simplicity of this recipe I double it and can barely keep it in the refrigerator and yes, I have been know to eat it with a spoon uh, like in the picture. That little red bowl of goodness went straight into my mouth as my dessert and as you can see, it is easy to strain (optional) which will give an even stiffer product. One of the best things about Keto Creme Fraiche is that unlike sour cream, it will not curdle when heated nor separate when lemon juice or vinegar are added. If by some chance creme fraiche doesn’t trip your trigger there is this fabulous Keto Yogurt also made with 40% heavy cream.

Oh, I almost forgot.  What to do with the buttermilk you always seem to have leftover?  Freeze it in an ice cube tray and you’ll never run out or not have it again.  Un-mold the cubes, put ’em in a bag and they are ready for use when you need them.  Take a bigger look at this picture and notice the 3.5% butterfat.  This is not your normal anemic, thin, bluish 1% buttermilk and taste, gads it tastes like a creamy, smooth, tangy kefir. Kefir has been described as crème fraîche in a drink.

I am updating and adding another recipe for those of you (like me) who use pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized heavy cream. If you are lucky enough to get unpasteurized cream then use the second recipe-for the rest of you-use the first recipe.  It has to do with the different culturing bacteria used in yogurt, buttermilk, and sour cream and trust me, it makes a huge difference in the thickness or viscosity of your crème fraîche. It seems more and more companies are going to ultra-pasteurized creams because of the much longer shelf life but…ultra pasteurization not only kills potentially harmful bacteria it also damages all of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients originally contained in the milk. It also kills the healthy enzymes which help your body digest the milk.

I absolutely love crème fraîche on strawberries.  The top two pictures are the newer recipe #1 made with ultra-pasteurized 40% heavy cream and you can see how much thicker it is with the additional cultures of yogurt and sour cream.  Tiny amounts-huge difference.

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