Homemade Creme Fraiche

I live in a fairly small town which makes getting some ingredients a bit difficult. For example, I have to drive over an hour away from my home to get Creme Fraiche, a French sour cream. Thankfully there’s a simple way to make homemade Creme Fraiche, and you’re just two simple ingredients away from making it yourself. Plan ahead - you’ll need to start the process about 36 hours before it’s ready to use.

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Two simple ingredients are all you need to make amazing Creme Fraiche at home. Cultured buttermilk and heavy cream. Use the amounts listed in the recipe below and stir well to combine, then cover the jar with a breathable covering and set aside in an out-of-the-way spot for a 24 hours.

After 24 hours, the mixture should have thickened considerably. Remove the breathable covering and replace with jar lid; refrigerate overnight before using. Keep refrigerated and use within a week.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate link)

• wide mouth quart jar https://amzn.to/384YR3R

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Homemade Creme Fraiche

makes 1 quart

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cultured buttermilk

• 2 cups heavy cream (minus 3 tablespoons)

Directions

1. Place buttermilk in clean wide mouth quart-size jar and add enough heavy cream to reach the 2-cup mark; stir well to combine.

2. Cover jar with something breathable (paper towel, coffee filter, cheesecloth, etc) and secure with a rubber band.

3. Place jar in a quiet, out-of-the-way spot for 24 hours (should be 70-75F).

4. After 24 hours, mixture should be considerably thicker; replace breathable top with jar lid and chill overnight before using. Use within a week.

Notes

• Although they are often used as a substitution for each other, Creme Fraiche has a creamier flavor and is less acidic than sour cream.

• Creme Fraiche can be added to hot ingredients without curdling (unlike sour cream).

• Creme Fraiche has a higher fat content than sour cream.

• Creme Fraiche has a lower protein content than sour cream.

Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches

Every now and then you just need a dippy, drippy, and oh-so-good French Dip Sandwich in your life. Make the meat ahead and assemble the sandwiches as needed.

Items used to make this recipe:

• 6-quart Instant Pot https://amzn.to/3woo82z

• meat claws https://amzn.to/3yen95X

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Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches

makes 6-8 large sandwiches

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chuck roast, cut into large chunks

• 3 medium onions, sliced

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup low sodium beef stock

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or more soy sauce)

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 French baguettes

• sliced cheese (Swiss, provolone, or other)

Directions

1. Place the chuck, onions, garlic, beef stock, soy, fish sauce, worcestershire, olive oil, bay leaves, salt, and pepper in a 6-quart instant pot; cook on high pressure for 45 minutes, then allow pressure to release naturally for 25 minutes.

2. Remove meat from pot and shred; reserve liquid (au jus) for dipping.

3. To serve, slice open each baguette and cut into three equal lengths; pile high with shredded beef topped with cheese; place under broiler to melt cheese (don’t walk away from the oven while doing this).

4. Serve with plenty of the au jus (cooking liquid) for dipping. Additionally, caramelized onions may be added just before serving.

Notes

• Swiss cheese is traditional on French Dip Sandwiches, but we’re not crazy about it so we use provolone instead. Feel free to use your favorite melting cheese.

• Although this recipe contains a lot of onions, feel free to serve these sandwiches with a healthy addition of caramelized onions.

• When I have a recipe that calls for beef stock, I often substitute with my unsalted homemade chicken stock that’s been reduced to 1/4 it’s original volume (1 cup of stock is reduced to 1/4 cup). It’s an excellent substitution and a great way to use up the huge supply of chicken stock I always seem to have in my freezer.

adapted from Amy and Jacky