Crema Mexicana + Cinco de Mayo Round-Up

Many of the dishes in the collection below can be served with Crema Mexicana. This mildly sour, slightly thickened cream can be drizzled over food and, unlike sour cream, will not separate when it is heated. Commercial versions of crema are expensive and most of them are thicker than they should be. Fortunately, it can be made at home using heavy cream and buttermilk. The finished cream has a lovely texture and a nutty flavor that makes it a perfect condiment for many Mexican dishes. I love to bake with it and use it as a substitute for sour cream when I prepare beef or chicken Stroganoff. The thickness of crema can be regulated by the amount of buttermilk that is added to the heavy cream, and once it has thickened it can be flavored with salt, lime zest or chiles. The crema will keep for about 10 days in the refrigerator. Here is the recipe I use for my Crema Mexicana.

Crema Mexicana

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup cultured buttermilk

Directions:

1) Pour cream into a small saucepan set over low heat and stir just until the chill is off. Do not heat cream above 100 degrees F. (lukewarm).

2) Remove saucepan from the heat, stir in buttermilk and pour into a clean glass jar. Cover jar with a lid but do not screw it down. Allow cream to sit at room temperature until it is noticeably thicker, about 12 to 24 hours. Stir gently and chill for 4 to 24 hours to complete thickening process. Yield: 2cups.