Perfect Pairing Recipes

BC Wine Pairing; Sparkling

Crème Fraîche

Crème fraîche, French for “fresh cream,” is a thick cultured cream, similar to sour cream or Mexican crema. To make it, bacterial cultures in buttermilk thicken and acidify heavy cream, while also preventing bad bacteria from taking over. It has a nutty, tangy flavour and rich texture, and it is used as a condiment or thickener in many appetizers, mains and desserts.

Ingredients

1 cup whipping cream, preferably 36% butterfat if you can find it

2 Tbsp (1 oz) cultured buttermilk or sour cream

Method

Combine buttermilk (or sour cream) and heavy cream in non-reactive container. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature until thickened to desired texture, 12 to 24 hours. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes: This will seem as if it’s not thickening, until suddenly it does—if your kitchen is very cool, the process will take a bit longer. Once the crème fraîche is ready, the easiest way to use it is to transfer it into a piping bag that you can keep in the fridge. When you’re ready to use it, simply snip off the tip and pip the crème fraiche onto your blini, crostini, crackers or whatever you are using it for.

Read the full blog here. Pairings recommended by Joanne Sasvari includes:

Unsworth Vineyards Charme de L’île, Vancouver Island

Evolve Cellars Effervescence, Okanagan Valley

Monte Creek Winery Living Land Sparkling Rosé 2022, Thompson Valley

Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards Fitz Brut 2018, Okanagan Valley

Township 7 Seven Stars Polaris 2019, Fraser Valley/Okanagan Valley

Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery Tête de Cuvée 2020, Kootenays

Recipe provided by: Joanne Sasvari