I've been trying unsuccessfully to find a source of fresh cream. UHT cream, yes, also "fresh" (non UHT_ creme fraiche, but no proper cream. I've trawled markets, searched supermarkets, all in vain. Short of buying a cow, or pleading with a local farmer, does anyone have any thoughts on this? I live on the border of 35/50.
Thanks Liz. This is for a friend recently arrived who wants cream in his coffee and doesn't like the taste of UHT! I will try Barenton, anyway.
You can try the epicerie Barenton, they do mail order and we have bought english style cream from them but even their clotted cream, delicious, was long life… I tend to use the thickest standard french cream or mix ricotta or mascarpone and cream depending on what is needed
Oh I wish we could get fresh cream. I've lived in 3 departments in france over the past 12 years and thought Brittany (Morbihan) I might be lucky. No sireee. What do the farming fraternity do with their cream other than make creme fraiche which is nothing like and I too love cream in my coffee.
Crème liquide is what you might like if you like cream in your coffee.
If you want something like double cream you can look for Crème douce made by Pechalou (and possibly other cremeries)
Veronique Creme douce by Pecalou was excellent but has not beeen seen for months
near me. Can you still find it?
Unfortunately you won't find fresh cream as you know it in France. We live next door to a small dairy farm and can get milk straight from the cow and still warm. The cream rises to the top just like in the old days. That's probably your friends best bet.
An alternative is to order from the UK. This company do lots of fresh products including cream https://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/longley-farm-double-cream. That's not going to be a regular supply of course but an occasional treat. He will probably just have to get used to the taste of the UHT stuff although Lidl fluide creme (in the cold cabinet) is pretty good and worth a try.
But why don't they do "proper" cream?
I have never really had a definitive answer to this. Probably best to ask a French person.
However, I understand that the French have a preference for milk/cream that has been sterilised (UHT) because they believe it is safer to consume it that way. It can also be stored a lot longer of course, provided it's not opened. They grow up drinking milk that has been sterilised so they prefer it that way. Personally, I hate the slightly caramel taste of it in tea but it's fine in coffee and in cooked dishes.
As an aside, I can remember taking fresh milk into the hospital for my husband to make him some tea and to drink and the nurses were horrified. They told me that fresh milk had too many microbes and was dangerous unless it was boiled!!!
If you try mixing marscapone with the creme fluide from the supermarket it does resemble double cream. Also, President do a fluid cream which I've used and does taste very good mixed with the marscapone.
Actually the cream which Veronique mentioned is/was good a cross between double cream and clotted.
All creme fluids are very runny like single cream but not as creamy.
I will call the dairy near Sarlat in the morning and ask where this really good cream has gone.
Hi Barbara,
What kind of cream, available in France do you use to put in the iddle of a sponge cake ? All the creams i've tried have been far too runny. My excellent local Epicerie Anglaise has stopped stocking clotted cream which was perfect.
Crème crue fermière, now that is "proper" cream. Wonderful stuff.
Many thanks Anna - sorry to appear thick but where would I find it ?
Am going shopping today so will see if I can find the one you mention Anna Watson.
Morning all. The cream whiich we used for putting into a sponge cake would be the one which
comes from the dairy near Sarlat....Pecanou!They still sell their yougurts but no sign of the cream
any longer! Creme crue fermier......well yes some farms will have some thick cream.....but not
that easy to find.And, may I say is good ice cream is not easy to find .....most of it is packed solidly with
sugar and is not creamy....nor is it made with real vanilla.
I know one patisserie in St Foy La Grande and he makes good ice cream.
Do you have a Fromagerie anywhere nearby where cheese is made rather than just sold? I buy tubs of cream from our local one, and it is as near UK double cream as you can get. However, it may not be pasteurised. Also, it may be liquid when you buy it and solid two days later, so timing is everything, and if you whip it you must watch it carefully as cream this fresh can over-whip suddenly and be more like butter. Whipped carefully it is perfect for cream cakes and meringues. For pouring, I buy bottles of single cream ("creme entier liquide")in Lidl. I also keep cartons of long-life cream to use for cooking but it doesn't taste the same if you pour it over raspberries!
It is this - I get it from the dairy stall at the market and it's also in supermarkets round here, but if you've never seen it then I wonder if it's a regional thing?
looks like it might be regional but have emailed them to see if they have a producer indept 56.
I use mascarpone whisked a bit to make it less dense, not as a substitute for anything else, just because I like it. Barbara's quite right to wonder about the Pechalou creme douce, I haven't seen it for a while, maybe they don't make it any more.
Good idea Véro, I never thought about Mascarpone. I'll hold some back next time I make a cheesecake.