Buttermilk substitute for making creme fraiche?
I want to make creme fraiche. I have 2 cups of heavy cream, but I can't find any buttermilk in my Country. I've read that it can be substituted with lemon juice, or vinegar mixed with milk. The problem is that for creme fraiche you need the bacteria from the buttermilk right?
So how can I substitute my buttermilk for this recipe?
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This recipe! found here , calls for buttermilk or sour cream. Perhaps you can find sour cream.
Crème fraîche
1 cup heavy or whipping cream, room temperature
1 tablespoon buttermilk or 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
In a jar with a lid, place whipping cream and buttermilk (or sour cream); cover securely and shake 15 seconds. Set aside at room temperature for 24 hours or until very thick. Stir once or twice during that time. NOTE: Cream will thicken faster if the room is warm.
Stir thickened creme fraiche well. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen has the following recipe:
A home version of crème fraîche can be made by adding some cultured buttermilk or sour cream, which contain cream-culture bacteria, to heavy cream (1 tablespoon per cup / 15ml per 250ml), and letting it stand at a cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours or until thick.
Therefore for the magic to happen the bacteria must be present. Check ingredients of your cream base: it should list cultured cream or, sometimes, cultures themselves. And absolutely not UHT.
I added two tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a cup of cream and let it sit for eight hours and produced a lovely creme fraiche. Also, I did the the same procedure with lemon juice and it turned out similarly. One never can produce what is consumed overseas so by using your local ingredients, a product will be produced specific to you. Try fruited vinegars like pear or berry for a unique dessert dip.
Well if you are not getting buttermilk, why not try making it yourself!! The method is really very simple and just needs two things - Full Cream Milk and a Blender/Mixer.
All you have to do is keep a pot full of cold drinking water besides you. Then pour the milk in the blender jar and blend it until the fat separates from the milk and starts to form lumps. Once these lumps are formed, you can filter the mixture to get the buttermilk. Also the lumps of fat is the butter so you can squeeze the lump together and float it in the cold water pot for sometime so that it keeps set like that.
Only thing to take care is that milk should be cold preferrably out of the fridge so that the fats don't melt.
I hope you ll be able to get some fresh buttermilk this way!!
Edit
This is a very local method of separating buttermilk in my country. If it doesn't suit your purpose you might want to look at the following page:
www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-quick-easy-buttermilk-substitute-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-185757
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