More success with crème fraiche experiments. As I hoped, adding more culture did help thicken up last nights new batch of crème fraiche.

                                 Heating up the cream

 Stirring in the culture

Jars all ready to go into the water bath

 Crème Fraiche after 14 hours of culturing and 3 hours of refridgeration

 Nice, thick Crème Fraiche





 Thick success!

Additionally, I discovered, very much by accident, that more culture is not the only way to make thicker crème fraiche. After I put my newest batch on to culture, I returned to my first batch of successful crème to create a couple of sampling options. First, I made a salmon dip using half of the thinner batch. Secondly, I made a lemon-herb dip using the other half of the thinner batch. I processed all the herbs and lemon in a food processor, then added the thin crème fraiche and continued blending it all together. When I stopped the machine and took the lid of, there, to my surprise, was nice, thick and fluffy crème fraiche dip! This nice surprised was followed by a 'Duh' moment, when I realized that of course vigorously blending crème fraiche would make it thicker, because its made of cream after all! I don't know why I didn't think of  it before accidently stumbling upon it accidently.

 

What a beautiful surprise! It is so much thicker than when it went in.

 Lemon, chive, and dill crème fraiche

 Here is some nice, whipped detail

Smoked salmon and parsley crème fraiche dip

 

 

I'm so excited about these results that I'm planning on making quarts of crème fraiche at the end of this week so that I can serve some of these crème fraiche dips at my birthday dinner.