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Article: What's creme fraiche all about?
- Article from:
- Oakland Tribune
- Article date:
- May 17, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2006 Oakland Tribune. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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YOU GO TO a restaurant, and there it is on the menu. Again. You
read a food magazine, and it's in the recipes. You see it on the
shelf at specialty food stores. And you ask yourself, what the heck
is creme fraiche anyway -- and why is it everywhere?
Actually, I've had those exact thoughts about many foods as they
pass in and out of culinary fashion -- cilantro, porcini mushrooms,
balsamic vinegar, arugula, ahi, tamarind, kaffir limes, shallots and
favas -- to name just a few.
But creme fraiche seems particularly ubiquitous these days. How
come?
Certainly one reason is that it's fancy-sounding. When your menu
says "with creme fraiche," you can charge more for a dish than if it
says "with ...