Strawberry Shortcakes with Crème Fraîche
Topped with ripe strawberries, these shortcakes are moist, crumbly and just a touch sweet.
Ingredients:
Farm & Larder shortcake mix
¾ cup heavy cream, plus 1 tablespoon
4 cups strawberries, washed, stemmed and sliced
½ cup sugar
1 cup Farm & Larder crème fraîche
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Add the shortcake mix to a large mixing bowl. Measure ¾ cup cream; set aside 1 tablespoon. Add the remaining cream to the dry mixture, and stir with a fork until the mixture just comes together.
2. Lightly knead the dough a few times in the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured board, and roll out about ¾-inch thick. Cut six 2½-inch circles or squares out of the dough. Reroll the scraps, you should be able to get 2 or 3 more shortcakes out of it.
3. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and brush the tops with the tablespoon of cream. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to slightly cool.
4. In a second bowl, mix the sliced strawberries with sugar. To assemble, split each shortcake in half and top both halves with a serving of berries. Finish with a generous dollop of honeyed crème fraîche.
Donut Peach Shortcakes with Vanilla-Honey Crème Fraîche
Topped with our housemade crème fraîche and ripe Donut peaches, these shortcakes are moist, crumbly and just a touch sweet.
Ingredients:
Farm & Larder shortcake mix
¾ cup heavy cream, plus 1 tablespoon
4 cups Donut peaches, pitted, peeled (if desired) and sliced
1 cup sugar
1 cup Farm & Larder vanilla-honey crème fraîche
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Add the shortcake mix to a large mixing bowl. Measure ¾ cup cream; set aside 1 tablespoon. Add the remaining cream to the dry mixture, and stir with a fork until the mixture just comes together.
2. Lightly knead the dough a few times in the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured board, and roll out about ¾-inch thick. Cut six 2½-inch circles or squares out of the dough. Reroll the scraps, you should be able to get 2 or 3 more shortcakes out of it.
3. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and brush the tops with the tablespoon of cream. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to slightly cool.
4. In a second bowl, mix sliced peaches with sugar. To assemble, split each shortcake in half and top both halves with a serving of sliced peaches. Finish with a generous dollop of crème fraîche.
Baked Eggs with Crème Fraîche & Fresh Herbs
These oeufs en cocotte boast a wonderful balance between the rich crème fraîche and the bright parsley and chives.
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
1 cup Farm & Larder crème fraîche
Pinch nutmeg
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Season the crème fraîche with salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
3. Place a heaped tablespoon of crème fraîche in the bottom of a small individual ramekin or custard cup*, followed by a sprinkling of parsley and chives. Crack an egg on top, add a second tablespoon of crème fraîche and sprinkle with an additional pinch each of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Repeat with remaining ramekins.
4. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour enough lukewarm water into the dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until the egg yolks are set to your liking. Finish each serving with additional chopped herbs.
*This dish can also be made in a large baking dish, or even in a few smaller baking dishes. Spread a thin layer of cheese and herbs on bottom, carefully crack eggs and space out evenly, then dollop additional cheese and add water as directed above.
Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Herb Crème Fraîche
This soup is the epitome of fall comfort food.
Ingredients:
1, 2-2½ pound Winter Density pumpkin, quartered and seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt, plus additional
for seasoning the soup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup diced Cipollini onion
1 cup diced Yukon Gold potatoes
1 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cups chicken stock
Fresh ground pepper
For Herb Crème Fraîche:
¾ cup crème fraîche, plus additional for garnish
2 teaspoons each fresh parsley (finely chopped) and thyme leaves
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place pumpkin quarters in a baking dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with 2 teaspoons sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Roast at 350° for 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Scoop out cooked pumpkin and reserve.
2. Heat butter and remaining oil in a large stock pot. Add onion and garlic and
season with a pinch of sea salt. Sweat over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often. Do not brown.
3. Add the chicken stock, potatoes, and roasted pumpkin and season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a simmer, and cover, cooking for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.
4. While soup is cooking, combine crème fraîche with fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper. Once soup is ready, purée it in batches in a food processor (or with an immersion blender). Stir in ¾ cup of crème fraîche. Add more chicken stock as necessary to achieve desired consistency. Garnish each serving with reserved crème fraîche.
Baked Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Crème Fraîche & Fresh Herbs
These oeufs en cocotte boast a wonderful balance with rich crème fraîche, plus bright parsley and chives.
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
1 cup Farm & Larder crème fraîche
8 ounces smoked salmon, flaked
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Season the crème fraîche with salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. Place a heaped tablespoon of crème fraîche in the bottom of a small individual ramekin or custard cup, followed by a sprinkling of parsley and chives. Crack an egg on top, add a second tablespoon of crème fraîche and sprinkle with an additional pinch each of salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining ramekins.
4. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour enough lukewarm water into the dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until the egg yolks are set to your liking. Finish each serving with a helping of smoked salmon and additional chopped herbs.
Honeyed Crème Fraîche
This amazing combination is wonderful atop shortcakes or pretty much any other fruit tart!
Ingredients:
1 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons honey
Method:
1. Combine crème fraîche and honey in a bowl; chill until use.
Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Strawberries
This rustic cake has a slightly-crunchy texture courtesy of polenta and is beautifully flavored by olive oil.
Ingredients:
Farm & Larder lemon olive oil cake mix
½ cup olive oil
1 cup milk or buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
¾ cup crème fraîche or whipped cream
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9-inch cake pan or cast iron skillet with 2-inch sides with some of the olive oil.
2. Whisk together milk or buttermilk, eggs, lemon peel, vanilla, and olive oil. Pour the cake mix into this milk mixture and fold together with a spatula until just combined; do not over-mix. Scrape batter into greased pan and spread evenly.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan. Immediately run a knife around edge of cake, and turn cake out onto a cooling rack. Allow cake to cool before cutting.
4. To serve, slice cake into wedges and top with sliced strawberries and a generous dollop of crème fraîche or whipped cream.
For optional cake glaze: Combine ¾ cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, adding more lemon juice if needed. Drop by spoonfuls over cake after it has been placed on cooling rack, spreading within half an inch of the cake’s sides.
Herbed Crème Fraîche
Add a dollop of this flavorful crème fraîche to this week’s soup!
Ingredients:
¾ cup crème fraîche
2 teaspoons each fresh parsley, rosemary and sage (all very finely chopped)
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine crème fraîche with fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead.)
Potato Salad with Crème Fraîche & Mint
This unique recipe from Jamie Oliver ingeniously combines fresh mint, crème fraîche and Anaheim chile.
Ingredients:
2 pounds baby red potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup crème fraîche
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
½ cup fresh mint, chopped
1 Anaheim chile, seeded and finely chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Gently boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water until tender, then drain. Allow to cool slightly, then slice all potatoes in half.
2. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and dress with crème fraîche, lemon juice and zest, sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Stir in half of the fresh mint and sliced pepper in with the salad, then use the remaining mint and pepper to garnish the finished dish.
Smoked Salmon Salad with Crème Fraîche & Arugula
Serve this creamy salmon salad atop a bed of greens with sliced cucumber and heirloom tomatoes on the side.
Ingredients:
1 package smoked salmon (about 8 ounces), flaked
4 cups arugula, washed and patted dry with a paper towel
½ cup crème fraîche
3 tablespoons chopped celery
3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, pressed
¼ cup olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, combine crème fraîche with garlic and olive oil and whisk to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper.
2. In another mixing bowl, combine smoked salmon, capers and celery. Toss with crème fraîche dressing.
3. Serve smoked salmon salad over a bed of arugula, with sliced heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers alongside.
Tip: Drizzle tomatoes and cucumbers lightly with olive oil and fresh lemon juice, and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.