Creme Fraiche: In My Kitchen (a recipe)

Tara Carpenter, NC.

Holistic nutrition for stronger digestion; especially yeast overgrowth related health issues.

Originally published on June 7, 2017

Cultured cream is a fancy name for sour cream, a.k.a. crème fraiche and simple to make …. all you need is a jar, cream, and starter* to break down milk protein (casein) and convert milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acid.

The result is an easy-to-digest dairy with the best kind of fat for your brain! Especially for kids or pregnant moms!! Cultured cream contains strains of probiotics to keep your inner ecosystem healthy and balanced.

I love cultured cream as a dessert and sweeten with stevia and almond extract. In the summer, I put a bowl full in the freezer for a bit, so yummy 🙂 Even those who are lactose/casein intolerant can often tolerate this traditional cream because is pre-digested in a sense.

Cultured Cream

Ingredients

1 packet of culture starter* (or 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk)

1 pint organic, heavy whipping cream** (preferably raw, pasture-raised)

1 pint-sized glass jar with tight-fitting lid (sterilize properly)

Instruction

Place room-temperature cream into jar.
Stir in a packet of starter.
Sit 12-24 hours at 72-75 degrees Fahrenheit until slightly thick.
Shake well.
Transfer to refrigerator to firm up, keeps for several months.

Tips

Add green stevia powder or liquid stevia and strawberry extract (sugar/alcohol-free).
Toss in sour fruit (green apple, pomegranate) + sprouted seeds for a nourishing breakfast.
Churn into ice cream, butter or whipped cream.
For a healthy breakfast, add super spirulina and top with fruit.
Fold in salad dressing or mix with mustard, sea salt, and herbs for a delicious dip.
Dollop onto soup or a baked red-skinned potato (add cultured butter for yummy!).
Use as a cream thickener added to sauce (won’t curdle or separate).
This recipe is ideal for anyone on a gut healing program like B.E.D.

Culturing Tips Tricks

It’s important to culture cream at 72-75 degrees. My husband created a wonderful Incubator Kit to keep temperatures constant. If you don’t buy a Kit, then use a seed-mat or put jar of cream on top of fridge or near a heating vent.
Make sure temperature remains constant with a room thermometer. If temperature drops below 69 degrees, cream can be stringy/slimy. If temperature gets above 75 degrees, it can culture too fast, separate, turn sour.
This recipe food combines with everything, even fruit.

*My favorite culture starter contains types of probiotics (i.e., Lb. Plantarum) that are some of the heartiest strains to put in your body. Most probiotics get destroyed by antibiotics, fluoride, stomach acid, chlorinated water, etc. before reaching the small intestine, yet the probiotics in this starter are strong and survive to keep your gut full of good flora.

**Raw cream is best. When you use pasteurized cream the proteins will be denatured (term used to describe change of a protein’s shape when exposed to external stress). In this case, the damage is due from being heated to 260 degrees F in a fraction of a second. This extreme heat damages the proteins in cream and they become very allergenic. This is the #1 reason why people react with uncomfortable symptoms to pasteurized dairy. Even if you use starter culture to culture the cream back to life, the damaged proteins may still cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. However, when you use raw cream that wasn’t heated above 118 degrees (point when enzymes get destroyed) you’ve got a different food. For this reason, source raw cream and milk for that matter from a local farmer in your area.

May all bellies be happy!