Cream as an ingredient
Cream is used as an ingredient in many foods, including ice cream, many cream sauces, cream soups, and some custard bases, and is also used for cakes. Irish cream is an alcoholic liqueur which blends cream with whiskey and coffee. Cream is also used in curries such as masala dishes.
Cream (usually light cream/half-and-half/Single Cream) is often added to coffee.
Cream for cooking
For cooking purposes, both single and double cream can be used in cooking, although the former can separate when heated, usually if there is a high acid content. Most UK chefs always use double cream or full-fat crème fraîche when cream is added to a hot sauce, to prevent any problem with it separating or "splitting". In sweet and savoury custards such as those found in flan fillings, crème brûlées and crème caramels, both types of cream are called for in different recipes depending on how rich a result is called for. It is useful to note that double cream can also be thinned down with water to make an approximation of single cream if necessary.
Other foods called "cream"
Some foods or even cosmetics may be labeled cream but not because they are made with cream, but because they make claim to the consistency or richness of cream. In some locations labeling restrictions prevent the use of the word cream to describe such products, so variations such as creme, kreme, creame, or whipped topping may be found.
CHANTILLY CREAM:
Chantilly cream is whipped cream — but you have to dress up to eat it. The French name is crème chantilly. If there’s any distinction between the two, it’s that chantilly cream is lightly whipped (although plain old whipped cream doesn’t need to be beaten until stiff, either). Under whatever name, it is usually sweetened and can be flavored with vanilla or a liqueur.
CLABBER (CLABBERED) MILK:
is cultured or clabbered into yogurt-like products are pre-digested by the beneficial bacteria that feed on the lactose (milk sugar). Thus, cultured milk products have less lactose, and are less likely to offend the partially lactose-intolerant or allergic person because they are easier to digest.
CLOTTED CREAM:
Clotted cream or Devonshire cream is a thick cream made by slowly heating rich, unpasteurized milk to about 82 degrees Centigrade and holding it that temperature for about an hour. A very thick, yellow layer of clots or coagulated clumps of cream forms on the top. It has a minimum fat content of 55 percent. It is a traditional accompaniment to the English 'cream tea,' served with jam and scones.
CREAM:
Upon standing, unhomogenized milk naturally separates into two layers — a milk-fat rich cream on top and almost fat-free (or skimmed) milk on the bottom. Commercially, the cream is separated from the milk by centrifugal force. Almost all cream that reaches the market today has been pasteurized.
There are many varieties of cream, all categorized according to the amount of milk fat in the mixture. Many, many supermarkets carry heavy cream. If you can't find, substitute an equal amount of whipping cream for heavy cream. See Whipping Cream, below.
CRÈME FRAICHE: [krehm FRESH]
This matured, thickened cream has a slightly tangy, nutty flavor and velvety rich texture. The thickness of crème fraîche can range from that of commercial sour cream to almost as solid as room-temperature margarine.
Crème fraîche and sour cream can be used interchangeably in most recipes, but Crème fraîche has two advantages over sour cream: it can be whipped like whipping cream, and it will not curdle if boiled.
In France, where crème fraîche is a specialty, the cream is unpasteurized and therefore contains the bacteria necessary to thicken it naturally. In America, where all commercial cream is pasteurized, the fermenting agents necessary for crème fraîche can be obtained by adding buttermilk or sour cream.
Crème fraîche is the ideal addition for sauces or soups because it can be boiled without curdling. It's delicious spooned over fresh fruit or other desserts such as warm cobblers or puddings or used in truffle recipes.
Crème fraîche is sold in some gourmet markets. If you can't find it, it's so easy to make an equally delicious crème fraîche version at home: recipes.
DEVONSHIRE CREAM: (DEHV-uhn-sheer) -
Originally from Devonshire County, England, it is a thick, buttery cream often used as a topping for desserts. It is still a specialty of Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset as this is where the right breed of cattle are raised with a high enough cream content to produce clotted cream. It is also known as Devon cream and clotted cream. Clotted cream has a consistency similar to soft butter.
Before the days of pasteurization, the milk from the cows was left to stand for several hours so that the cream would rise to the top. Then this cream was skimmed and put into big pans. The pans were then floated in trays of constantly boiling water in a process known as scalding. The cream would then become much thicker and develop a golden crust which is similar to butter.
Today however, the cream is extracted by a separator which extracts the cream as it is pumped from the dairy to the holding tank. The separator is a type of centrifuge which extracts the surplus cream at the correct quantity so that the milk will still have enough cream to be classified as milk.
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