the consistency is very thick, almost
semisolid. Stirred into a thinner liquid, these
reduced creams have enough fat globules to
fill it and lend a substantial body. Cream
reduction and thickening can also be done at
the last minute, for example after a sauté pan
has been deglazed; the cook adds cream to the
deglazing liquid and boils the mixture until it
reaches the desired consistency.
Crème Fraîche in Sauce Making Reduced
creams have several disadvantages. They take
time and attention to prepare, develop a
cooked flavor, and are very rich, sometimes
overly so for the balance of a given sauce. A
useful alternative to reduced creams is crème
fraîche, a version of heavy cream whose
consistency has been thickened not by boiling
down, but by fermentation (p. 49). The acid
produced by lactic bacteria causes the casein
proteins in the water phase to cluster together
and form a network that immobilizes the