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recipes & inspiration for everyday cooking

Crème Fraîche:

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crème

fraîche

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Vermont Creamery co-founder Allison Hooper learned

the art of making crème fraîche while working on a farm

in Brittany, France.

Inspired to bring the thick, luscious cream that was a staple in

European cooking to Americans, crème fraîche was one of the

first products ever made at Vermont Creamery.

Crème fraîche is well-loved for its incredible versatility, rich taste,

and smooth texture by chefs and home cooks alike.

Rich, thick and creamy, crème fraîche is a cultured cream with

a tart, slightly nutty flavor. Incredibly versatile, crème fraîche

adds depth and flavor to sauces, dips, soups, and desserts.

An enhancement to any dish that calls for sour cream, crème

fraîche will hold its smooth, creamy texture over high heat, or

when mixed with acidic ingredients like lemon, wine or vinegar.

It’s also sublime sweetened with a touch of sugar and whipped or

dolloped atop fresh fruit and pies.

crème

fraîcheVermont Creamery co-founders Bob Reese & Allison Hooper

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→ tip:You can flavor

the crème fraîche

with finely

chopped dill or

chives, it will go

perfectly with the

smoked salmon.

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1. Peel and shred the potatoes with a grater.

2. Place them in a bowl and add flour, egg, salt and pepper.

3. Mix until fully incorporated.

4. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large nonstick pan.

5. Add the potato mixture to the pan, use the back of a

wooden spoon to press the potatoes down to form one

large “pancake”.

6. Cook for about 10 minutes on one side until crisp and

brown, lift edge gently to make sure it does not burn, flip

it over and let it cook for about another 10 minutes on the

other side.

7. Remove the pan from the heat and top with salmon, crème

fraîche, scallions, watercress and a little pepper.

8.To serve, cut it into wedges.

Potato Galette with Crème Fraîche & SalmonMAKES 1 LARGE GALETTE, SERVES 4

3 large Russet potatoes

1 tablespoon all

purpose flour

1 egg

½ teaspoon salt

pinch of pepper

2 tablespoons butter

8 large slices of

smoked salmon

1 cup Vermont Creamery

Crème Fraîche

2 scallions, finely sliced

watercress

→ tip:This perfectly pink container does double-duty as a 1

cup measure. Why wash more dishes than you have to?

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1 large head of cauliflower

1 small celeriac

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup Vermont Creamery

Crème Fraîche

salt and pepper

fresh thyme

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets and peel and dice the

celeriac into ½” cubes.

2. Place in a large pot and cover with water.

3. Boil the vegetables until soft but not mushy, about

10 minutes.

4. Drain the water and use an immersion blender to

process the vegetables until nearly smooth or the

consistency you like for your favorite mash.

5. Add the oil and ½ of the crème fraîche.

6. Mix well and add crème fraîche until you have a

smooth mash.

6. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Spoon into a serving bowl and top with pepper,

fresh thyme, and a dollop of crème fraîche.

→ tip: You can add more flavor to the mash by adding ½ cup

grated parmesan and any finely chopped herbs.

Cauliflower and Celeriac Mash with Crème FraîcheSERVES 4

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1. Combine the milk, crème fraîche, sugar, cinnamon, and

orange peel in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir

frequently and watch the mixture carefully. Once it’s come to

a boil, turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

2. Place your bread into a shallow pan or cookie sheet

with a lip.

3. Once the milk mixture is lukewarm, pour it over your

bread. Allow your bread to soak up the milk. If your bread is

really hard, you can leave it in the milk for a few minutes. You

don’t want the bread to be so soggy that it falls apart.

4. In a frying pan, heat a half inch of olive oil over medium

high heat until it’s very hot.

5. In a bowl, lightly beat 6 eggs.

6. In batches, take each piece of bread from the milk and dip

it in the eggs and put it in the oil. Allow the toast to cook to

golden brown and then flip and fry the other side until golden.

7. Place cooked french toast on paper towels and continue

the frying process in batches until you’ve used all the bread.

8. Stack your toast on a plate and layer with crème fraîche

and berries. Drench the stack with maple syrup.

→ tip: Leftover stale baguettes also work really well in

this recipe.

8 slices of toasted or very

stale bread, I used thick

potato bread

2 cups of whole milk

1 cup Vermont Creamery

Crème Fraîche

¾ cup sugar

1 stick cinnamon

Peel of 1 small orange

(optional)

6 eggs, beaten

Olive Oil for frying

Maple syrup, berries,

& crème fraîche

for serving

VERY French ToastSERVES 4

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Crème fraîche

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stir into soups serve wi th fresh fruitdollop onto potatoes spread on shortbread

Crème fraîche

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Crème Fraîche Scones with Cherry CompoteMAKES 10–12 SCONES

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking

powder

4 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of flakey sea salt

5 tablespoons chilled,

unsalted Vermont

Creamery cultured

butter, cubed

½ cup dried cherries

1 cup Vermont Creamery

Crème Fraîche

turbinado sugar for

sprinkling

FOR THE COMPOTE

2 cups pitted fresh (or

frozen, thawed) cherries1⁄3 cup sugar

1. For the compote, place the cherries and sugar in a

small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 10

minutes, stirring once in a while. Remove from heat and

set aside to cool.

2. Mix the first 4 dry ingredients in a bowl and use your

fingers to incorporate the butter into the flour until it’s the

consistency of breadcrumbs.

3. Stir in crème fraîche and cherries until a dough forms.

4. Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the

refrigerator for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 425°F while your dough is resting.

6. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out onto a

lightly floured surface to about a ¾ inch thickness.

7. Use a biscuit cutter to cut rounds of dough. If you prefer a

wedge-shaped scone, use a knife to shape your dough.

8. Place rounds or wedges on a parchment-lined, ungreased

baking sheet. Bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to

15 minutes.

9. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

10. While the scones are still warm, carefully split them

in half, add a dollop of crème fraîche, and a scoop of

cherry compote.

11. Top with the other half of your scone and

serve immediately.

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→ tip:For a crowd, let guests

join in the fun! Provide

split scones, a few of your

favorite jams and a bowl

of crème fraîche.

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FOR THE CAKE:

1½ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, at room

temperature

1¼ cups sugar

½ cup Vermont Creamery

Crème Fraîche

3 eggs at room

temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla or

maple syrup

½ cup chopped hazelnuts

FOR THE CARAMEL:

1 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons salted

butter

½ cup Vermont Creamery

Crème Fraîche

pinch of flaky sea salt

FOR THE CRÈME

FRAÎCHE FILLING:

2 cups Vermont Creamery

Crème Fraîche

2 tablespoons

confectioners sugar

Chopped hazelnuts

for garnish

Trois Crèmes Cake with Salted Crème Fraîche Caramel SERVES 10–12

1. Start by making your caramel. Pour the sugar into a

dry saucepan.

2. Melt the sugar over medium low heat. it will first

begin to get clumpy and then after a few minutes it will

melt completely.

3. Once the sugar is completely melted, carefully add your

butter in 1 tablespoon at a time. be careful as the sugar will

boil up as you add the butter. stir to combine the butter

completely into the sugar.

4. Finally, drop the creme fraiche into the caramel a spoonful

at a time while you stir it. It will boil up and sputter yet again.

Mix until fully incorporated.

5. Stir the mixture for about 12 minutes more until it reaches

your desired consistency.

6. Be careful if you are tasting your caramel because

it’s superhot!

7. Remove from heat and allow to cool. You can store it for up

to 1 week in a sealed container in the fridge. You may want to

microwave it slightly before serving or using it as a topping.

Preheat oven to 325° F.

8. Preheat oven to 325° F and gease and flour a 9 inch round

cake pan.

9. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl and

set aside.

10. In a stand mixer cream butter and sugar until light fluffy.

Add in crème fraîche and mix until fully incorporated.

11. Add in eggs one at a time and mix until fully incorporated.

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12. Add in vanilla or maple syrup and chopped hazelnuts and

mix until incorporated.

13. Add dry flour mixture slowly and mix until incorporated.

14. Pour into 9 inch round pan and bake for 45–60 minutes.

Check for doneness with a toothpick starting at 35 minutes.

The toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come

out clean. In my oven this cake took about 45 minutes.

15. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a

wire rack.

16. When the cake is completely cool, slice it in half to create

two equal layers of cake.

17. Prepare your crème fraîche filling by simply mixing the

crème fraîche with your powdered sugar.

18. Place your bottom layer on your cake plate and spread ²⁄3

of your crème fraîche mixture on the bottom layer.

19. Drizzle a bit of the caramel on top of the filling and place

the top layer on top.

20. Spread the rest of your crème fraîche on top of the cake.

21. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and drizzle your

caramel all over the top of the cake.

22. Serve immediately. Store remaining cake in the

refrigerator to prevent the crème fraîche from melting.

→ tip:Don’t be afraid to

make your own caramel

sauce. It’s quite easy—

just make sure you

don’t stop stirring!

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Who doesn’t love crème fraîche?! Someone who’s not familiar with cooking,

baking, and eating it… yet!

I fell in love with crème fraîche when I was a boy and traveling in the North

of France with my family. My first taste was a simple dollop of lightly

sweetened crème fraîche with fresh Summer berries. The flavor was so

simple and rich. So different than the sour cream I was used to at home in

Norway, more thick and rich and less tang. Sublime.

Today, I use crème fraîche in so many of my everyday recipes:

mix crème fraîche with fresh herbs and salt and pepper for

a delightful sauce for fish or as a dip for crudite

stir crème fraîche into freshly scrambled eggs

a dollop of crème fraîche on hot or cold soups

as a delicious alternative to sour cream or greek yogurt

Go ahead, give it a try! Add crème fraîche to your cooking arsenal and all of

your dishes will have that extraspecial “je ne sais quoi” that will have your

friends and family asking for your secret!

Happy! Happy!

Sweet Paul

A note from Sweet Paul

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