Gourmets Love Richness, Versatility of Crème Fraiche

You’ve seen it on menus, you’ve read it in recipes, but with its French name and “chef-y” connotations, it may still be a bit intimidating: crème fraiche.

Pronounced “krem fresh,” it is lightly fermented heavy cream. It is kind of like sour cream, but not as thick as and sharper than sour, with a slightly nutty flavor and a silky, rich texture. The French discovered it long ago. As cheese guru Steven Jenkins told the New York Times: “It’s one of the most extraordinary substances in the world of dairy, of gastronomy. To compare it to American sour cream is to compare Spam to foie gras.”

Chefs -- particularly those who are classically trained -- love crème fraiche because it won’t curdle when heated or when combined with acidic ingredients such as wine or lemon juice.

In Normandy, home cooks fling it about with abandon, swirling it into soups, using it as a topping on fruits and incorporating it into pastries.

It is now made in the United States, is available in many supermarkets and specialty stores, and it may be time for home cooks here to embrace it.

The person who introduced Americans to crème fraiche is Allison Hooper, co-founder and co-owner of Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. (www.vermontcreamery.com), which began making it years ago. Her new book, “In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen” (Countryman Press, $19.95), is stuffed with wonderful recipes for crème fraiche and Vermont Butter & Cheese products: extraordinary cultured butter, mascarpone and several goat cheeses (chevre, feta, crottin and others).