A real chef will have his own special recipe for every occasion. One product can become the basis for completely different dishes that are prepared according to their recipe. And what can be made from cream? As part of this article, options for using milk cream are considered, we will find new, interesting recipes and give examples of original dishes that are prepared on the basis of this product.
What is cream?
Cream is a popular dairy product. Previously, it was obtained by separating the upper layer of milk settled in the tank. Hence the name appeared. The fact is that the smallest particles of fat float to the surface of the milk, so the top layer is so greasy. The process of separating cream from milk can take several days, which is not very convenient for industrial scale production. To highlight the cream using special technology, which reduces production time by several times. The process of separating liquids of different densities and properties is called separation. By centrifugation, the milk is divided into two fractions, while the loss of fat content is minimal. Possible regulation of the percentage of fat content of the final product.
What to cook with cream? Cream is much fatter than milk, so they are used to make cheese, butter, sauces and soups. Cream is actively used in the confectionery area. A variety of creams made from heavy cream are very delicate and airy.
Cream differ in fat content. The percentage of fat is measured. The following assortment of cream is presented in stores, depending on the fat content in them:
- Low fat. The cream fat can be 15, 17, 19%.
- Medium fat. Maximum fat content is 35%.
- High fat. This is a product with a fat content of 50-60%.
There is another type of cream, which is actively used in the confectionery field and the food industry. These creams are called dry. They look like white powder. This mixture consists of stabilizers, flavorings, emulsifiers and flavor enhancers. The cost of such a product is much lower, fat content can reach 70%. Powdered cream is used to make cereals, soups, 3 in 1 coffee. And you can make something special out of these creams.
What cream to choose?
Most often, cream is prepared from the usual for us cow's milk, but there are also cream from goat's milk. Previously, they differed only in fat content, and now in stores you can find the following types of product:
- Normalized Cream. This product is made from genuine cow's milk. At industrial enterprises, milk is homogenized. This lies in the process of inhibiting the concentration of fat on the surface of milk and breaking the mass into the smallest components. Fat is distributed over the entire mass of milk, and then, using the separation process, it is separated from the milk plasma and separated from the mixture. Such cream is the best industrial option, their composition is similar to the composition of natural cream. However, the taste is still different.
- Dry cream. They have nothing to do with a natural milk product. The composition includes various chemical elements and plant components, which due to their properties imitate the taste of a natural product. Such cream is much cheaper in price, they are stored for a long time, so they are very convenient to use in the food industry.
- Cream in a bottle. Similar to dry cream product. In the composition you can find elements of plant origin and synthetic additives. The shelf life of such a product is quite long.
- Portioned cream. These creams can be either a natural composition or a synthetic one. Carefully study the product packaging.
Eating natural products is good for your health. Synthetic foods, on the contrary, are not only useless, but also dangerous for the body. Therefore, preference should be given not to a cheaper product, but to a better one.
Cream based homemade ice cream
To make ice cream at home from cream, you will need a fresh natural product. Using dried cream in this case is not possible. In the cooking process, they are stratified, for this reason it is impossible to achieve the desired consistency of the mass. Use only natural cream with a fat content of 30% and above. To make ice cream, you will need the following ingredients:
- greasy cream - 900 g.
- icing sugar - 200 g.
- 6 yolks from chicken eggs
- vanilla - 60 g.
The yolks must be mixed with vanilla powder and icing sugar. To obtain a homogeneous mass, it is most convenient to use a whisk. Bring the cream to a boil, then mix with the resulting mass. You should get a homogeneous mixture. Put it on low heat and cook until a thick mass is obtained. After that, ice cream is poured into containers and placed in a refrigerator for freezing. You can add other ingredients, such as chocolate, cocoa, pistachios, etc. Use natural food colors to color the ice cream. Cream ice cream at home is ready. It turns out tasty and appetizing.
Cream sauce
Different sauces can dramatically change the taste characteristics of a dish. A cream sauce is a classic addition to many dishes that are popular around the world.
To obtain a gentle creamy sauce, you will need the following products:
- cream - 20 ml;
- wheat flour - 1 tbsp. l .;
- butter - 1 tbsp. l .;
- salt to taste;
- ground black pepper to taste.
Fry the flour in a dry pan, add the butter and mix the mass. We begin to pour the cream in a thin stream, while constantly stirring with a whisk. This is a very crucial moment, the sauce should be uniform, without lumps. Add salt and pepper, cook for 2 minutes. During this time, the sauce will thicken and take the desired consistency. Remember that not only classic sauce can be made from cream. Spices and additional ingredients can dramatically change the taste of a dish.
Making real sour cream
Sour cream is a fermented milk product that is prepared from cream using special leaven or without it. Sour milk and cream streptococci are part of the starter culture.
To prepare tasty and healthy cream sour cream, you need to take a fresh natural product. It is better to take a non-purchase option. Get 3 liters of village milk and leave it in the refrigerator for a day. This is necessary in order to separate the cream. Remove them with a spoon and leave for souring in a room with room temperature, then again put in the refrigerator for a day.
Let's try to figure out how to make sour cream from cream if there is no desire to wait too long. You can cook sour cream with sourdough. Add 2 tablespoons of high-quality sour cream to fresh fat cream, the temperature of which is 37-38 °, mix. We cover the container with a cloth and leave it for 7-9 hours. In this case, the mass should not be mixed. Then put the container in the refrigerator for thickening. You are interested in the question of how to make sour cream from cream, in which the spoon stands? Everything is very simple. For cooking, you should use high fat cream.
Mascarpone
What can be made from cream of medium fat content? Of course, delicate mascarpone cheese. It is prepared from a natural product. To obtain cheese, lemon juice is used, which causes the cream to clot due to interaction with an acidic environment.
Consider the classic cream mascarpone recipe. We will need:
- cream with a fat content of 20% - 500 ml;
- 1 medium lemon.
Heat the cream to a temperature of 80 °, it is better to do this using a water bath. Squeeze 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and pour it into a bowl of cream. Turn off the heat and leave the solution for 10 minutes. The mass will begin to curl. First, a heterogeneity appears that resembles the consistency of kefir, then the dense mass begins to separate from the liquid.
Pour the mass into the mylar bag and hang it over the container into which the whey will drain. After 1 hour, you can remove the bag, and use the resulting cheese in cooking recipes. If part of the whey is left, then the mass will take on the consistency of a cream.
Homemade butter
For the preparation of butter you will need 1 liter of heavy cream. It is better to take a natural fresh product, rather than a purchased option.
To whip the mixture you need a mixer or whisk. Pour the cream into a glass or plastic container and begin to whisk the mixture at low speed. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer. If you saw small blotches of beige or pale yellow, then the process of oil formation has begun.
The fluid that will separate from the oil portion is called buttermilk. It is rich in vitamins and minerals. From buttermilk very tasty and healthy pastries are obtained. The homemade butter obtained from cream should be put on cheesecloth and left for 2 hours. During this time, excess fluid will drain from it. From 1 liter of cream you should get 300-350 g of finished homemade butter.
Cheese and garlic sauce
Some do not even know that cream can make a delicate and fragrant cheese sauce. This sauce is ideal for pasta or other pasta dishes. For cooking, we need:
- hard cheese - 100 g;
- cream 30% - 100 ml;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- salt, pepper - to taste.
The recipe is very simple: you need to grate the cheese, squeeze the garlic. Stir the mass, add salt and pepper to taste, then pour the cream. The resulting mixture must be put in a water bath to melt the cheese. Stir the sauce periodically with a whisk. When the consistency becomes uniform, try the finished product. If necessary, salt and pepper it.
Cream soup "Dubarry"
This French cuisine soup is named after the favorite of Louis XV Marie, Jeanne Dubarry. The recipe for this soup is very simple and original. For cooking, we need:
- cauliflower -1 pc;
- leek - 1 pc;
- milk - 500 ml;
- cream 20% - 100 ml;
- butter - 100 g;
- salt, pepper - to taste;
- parsley;
- garlic;
- Red caviar.
We sort the cauliflower into inflorescences and send it to boil before cooking. Put the oil in a separate pan and put a slow fire so that the oil melts, but does not burn. We cut the leek in half rings, chop the garlic, and send it to the pot with oil. When the onion is ready, pour the broth, milk into the pan, place the cauliflower. Salt and pepper to taste. After fully preparing the inflorescences, pour the cream. Remove the pan from the heat. We set aside some inflorescences for decoration, grind the rest with a blender. Decorate the dish with red caviar.
Chocolate ganache
Ganache is a mixture of chocolate and cream. You can use absolutely any kind of chocolate: bitter black, milk or white. The less cocoa butter found in chocolate, the more it will be needed.
For cooking ganache, only very fat cream is suitable. You can add melted butter to them. To prepare a classic ganache, we need the following products:
- 2 bars of dark chocolate (180 g);
- 75 g of cream 30%;
- 100 g butter.
Pour the cream into a metal pan and place it in a water bath. Divide the chocolate into small slices and place in a bowl of cream. When the mixture becomes uniform and smooth, remove the pan from the heat and cool to 40 degrees. Add the butter at room temperature to the mass and mix the mixture. Cover the pan with foil and put in the refrigerator for 2 hours. During this time, the cream will become dense and viscous.
Cream-based air cream
Cream "Whipped Cream" is known to everyone. This gentle air mass is actively used to decorate cakes, pastries and other culinary delights.
To prepare such a creamy cream, you will need cream and powdered sugar. They must be very greasy and fresh. The fat content should be at least 30%. You need to work with cream carefully, as there is a high probability of spoiling the product if the cooking technology is violated.
Before working with cream, you must hold them in the refrigerator for a day. We begin to whisk first at low speed, then gradually increase the speed. When the cream begins to keep in shape, the whipping process should be stopped. Otherwise, we will get butter. If you do not like the consistency of the cream, you can add gelatin. Cream cream for decorating cakes should be more dense, so it is more convenient to use.
You can use artificial cream to make cream. At the same time, at the exit you get a mass that will keep its shape well even at room temperature. Such cream whips faster and the risks of spoiling the product are minimized.
Finally
There are a huge number of recipes using cream. Remember that the result of the dish will depend not only on compliance with the cooking technology, but also on the quality of the cream used. It is better to give preference to natural cream, collected from fresh cow's milk.