wines (p. 730). To accentuate this flavor note,
manufacturers sometimes add citrate to the
milk or cream before fermentation, and they
ferment in the cool conditions that favor
diacetyl production.
Crème Fraîche Crème fraîche is a versatile
preparation. Thick, tart, and with an aroma
that can be delicately nutty or buttery, it is a
wonderful complement to fresh fruit, to
caviar, and to certain pastries. And thanks to
its high fat and correspondingly low protein
content, it can be cooked in a sauce or even
boiled down without curdling.
In France today, crème fraîche means
cream with 30% fat that has been pasteurized
at moderate temperatures, not UHT
pasteurized (p. 22) or sterilized. (Fraîche
means “cool” or “fresh.”) It may, however, be
either liquid (liquide, fleurette) or thick
(épaisse). The liquid version is unfermented
and has an official refrigerated shelf life of 15