Crème fraîche

A typical French ingredient similar to sour cream, only with a lighter, creamier taste and texture.

How to make it: Place 1cup heavy cream in a small bowl, add to the cream 1/4-cup buttermilk. Stir the mixture well; cover with some plastic wrap or a lid. Let sit for 24 hours at room temperature or until firm. Place in refrigerator, only if it has thickened enough to hold a spoon upright. Any remaining Crème Fraîche should be used up within one week.

Tips: you can adjust the buttermilk to get a creamier or sourer flavor, depending on your taste. Substitute in sauces for sour cream; it does not curdle!

Cream is an intermediary product, between milk and butter, half way between their respective nutritional characteristics.

Cream contains fat, but less than you think! With 30 to 35% fat it contains almost three times less than butter (82%). Two thirds of the fat is what is referred to as 'saturated', most of which is easily digested due to its simple chemical structure. The remaining third is made up of what is called 'mono-unsaturated' fat (oleic acid)

Cream also contains vitamin A and vitamin D.