Eat Simply, Eat Well

Two simple ingredients + Time = Creme Fraiche

Ah, creme fraiche!  That lovely, creamy, slightly tangy, completely decadent dairy product.  The one that works equally well with both savory and sweet dishes:  serve it up with Blinis, caviar, red onion and a little cold smoke salmon, serve it along side your morning omelette, add a generous spoonful next to your morning scone or your afternoon chocolate cake or Pumpkin Bread – any way you spoon it up, it raises the dish it’s added to to a whole new level.  It’s a soured cream, but it’s not Sour Cream; the bacterial cultures used to make cream fresh are much milder and sweeter than the American Sour Cream, and the resulting product is less thick and more viscous.

According to Wikipedia, European labeling disallows any other ingredients besides cream and a bacterial culture; however when I went to the grocery store to buy creme fraiche a few days ago, the long list on the back of the creme fraiche container, which included modified starch, guar gum thickener, locust bean gum and pectin in addition to the cream and bacterial culture, influenced my decision to save the recipe I had in mind for another day so that I would have the time to make my own creme fraiche.

This European manufacturer’s creme fraiche, like many commercially manufactured creme fraiche products around the world, has these starches and stabilizers added to it in order to keep it shelf-stable for a longer period of time.  The ingredients added for shelf stability, however, make creme fraiche less stable for cooking; whereas creme fraiche made with only cream and a bacterial culture are excellent not just for cold dishes, but for adding to sauces or foods that will be cooked as the high buttercream content and lower protein content means there is no risk of curdling. (Source:  p. 49, On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee)

You are not going to believe how easy it is to make your own creme fraiche if you’ve never done it before.  It’s a case of combining two easy-to-find ingredients, stirring them to combine, putting a lid on it, and leaving it on the counter for 12-18 hours to let time and bacteria work their magic.

The best store-bought or homemade creme fraiche should contain only two ingredients:  Cream and a souring agent/bacterial culture.  Any more than that and your wasting your time.  This is a place where you want to keep it simple.  Just like with good dark chocolate, less is more.  If you don’t need the creme fraiche right away, consider making your own.  If you start now, you can use it for breakfast tomorrow already.

Creme Fraiche served with Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Bread

Make it Yourself:  Creme Fraiche

1 cup / 250 ml cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk / piimä

Combine the ingredients in a glass jar with a lid.  Stir well to combine.  Secure the lid tightly and set on the countertop at room temperature for 12-18 hours.  You’ll know that it’s ready when you tilt the jar slightly and the contents don’t move.  It’ll be a lightly thickened, completely smooth and utterly decadent treat.

Makes 1 cup / 250 ml.

Cinnamon, dried ginger, dried nutmeg, allspice berries and ground cloves for Pumpkin Spice Mix

The next few several weeks are going to be all about pumpkins and squash varieties, as we gather the rest of the harvest and march through Hallowe’en, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving Day in America (the Canadians have already celebrated!), and all the pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin bread that is enjoyed as part of the festivities or in spite of them.

Here in Finland, there’s no Pumpkin Spice Mix to be found on the shelves, so I made my own.  It’s as simple as mixing up a few spices in a jar, adding a label so you know what it is, and then your off and ready to start all those Fall baking projects you’ve been waiting for.  The only thing to take note of here is that all of your spices should be as fresh as possible.  You can grind them yourself, as I do with nutmeg and dried ginger, or buy the fresh from a trusted source.  Either way, your only a few minutes away from a jar of the spice whose scent epitomizes this season.

Pumpkin Spice Mix

1/3 cup ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1.5 teaspoons ground cloves
1.5 teaspoons ground all spice.

Pour all the spices into a jar, cover with a tight lid, and shake to combine.

Makes just over 1/3 cup or 1 dl.

Celeriac, Cabbage & Carrot Coleslaw

It seems I can’t get enough of cabbage-based salads these days.  I’ve been moving into the realm of coleslaw – that humble, almost homely looking salad with an addicting tangy flavor and a satisfying crunch – a salad that seems to pair well with a variety of main course options from pulled pork to roast chicken to barbecue ribs or hamburgers.  Or you can skip the meat all together and add  toasted nuts to make a light main course.  Or pile it onto your soft tacos for an extra zing and crunch.

I always use cabbage when I make coleslaw, and usually carrot, and then I sling in a few other items that happen to be in the fridge to add an extra flavor profile.  Sometimes I grate apple or pear – both which offer a delicious sweetness.  This time, though, I grated up a quarter of a huge celeriac root to add to the mix.

Giant Celeriac

While the texture of this salad comes from the vegetables, the dressing is what will make or break a good coleslaw.  The dressing can be made creamy with the addition of mayonnaise or a thick, plain yogurt; I prefer yogurt because, well, I just don’t like the flavor of mayonnaise very much and yogurt adds and extra tang that I love.  Or, you can leave out the creaminess altogether and pull the flavors of the vegetables together with a vinaigrette, which is what I’ve done here.  

As we move into late Fall, leaving the fresh, soft salad greens behind, we are left with a variety of winter cabbages and root vegetables.  Cabbages come in such a huge variety of options, and since I look to cook with what is is season, I am looking forward to working through and experimenting with as many as I can.  I had my week of Savoy cabbage, and now am finishing of the last of the white cabbage with this salad.  Next I can move on to Brussel Sprouts, Caraflex (suppilokaali), a little more Kale, some Napa Cabbage (Kiinankaali) or Bok Choy for some Asian soups and stir fries, red cabbage for that glorious color, and pair it with any variety of cauliflower and root vegetables.

Change up the flavor by adding different herbs and by using different vinegars.  Add yogurt, or not.  Use mustard, or leave it out.  Add garlic or sriracha or ground cayenne pepper for a welcome kick.

Oh yes, this is good stuff right here. Make it your own, or start with this one.

Both smooth and crunchy, this coleslaw is easy to eat

Celeriac, Cabbage & Carrot Coleslaw

1.  In a medium bowl combine:
1/4 celeriac (celery root; juuriselleri)
2 cups / 5 dl shredded white cabbage
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
3 green / spring onions (kevätsipuli)

2.  In a small jar with a lid, combine together and whisk well:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon liquid honey
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

3.  Pour the dressing over the salad greens and mix with your hands so all of the vegetables are well coated.  Allow the salad to marinate for 20-30 minutes before serving

Optional but highly recommended:  sprinkle toasted walnuts over the top.

Serves 4 as side dish or 2 as a main course