Crema Mexico is an easy condiment to make to kick up any Mexican dish, such as the Mexican pizzas called tlayudas, tamales, or nachos. It can also be used in main dishes and deserts.
A great compliment to homemade salsa verde and guacamole that will amaze your friends. Some folks get a little nervous about “thickening” their own milk products. Rest assured it is a completely safe and natural process.
If you are interested in making your our home-made cheese, crema is a natural place to begin as it does not require any cuddling products like rennet or lime juice. While not actually a cheese, crema is a great starting point both for learning to make homemade cheese, and also to learn more about Mexican cheeses.
Because it is a dairy product, it is better to prepare your crema as close to the time of serving as possible. Because it takes about a day to prepare, a little foresight is needed, but the crema will keep in a refrigerator for up to a week.
After completing the crema, this becomes a very versatile base as a simple sauce. To add a little spice, add a couple tablespoons of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Or you can add some fresh chopped cilantro to add a bit of a brighter, fresh flavor.
This is not only a recipe for Mexican recipes. You can even add chopped chives and bacon bits to top baked potatoes or diced shallots and dill to top grilled fish. Once you have a large batch of crema, the skies the limit.
Crema Mexicano
Ingredients:
2 cups of heavy cream
1/4 cup of buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
Optional ingredients:
1 Tablespoon of chopped chipotles in adobo
1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro
1/2 a diced shallot
Chopped chives
Juice of a quarter lime
1. Bring the cream up to room temperate. You can either leave in a warm place for an hour, or slightly heat in a small saucepan. Do not heat the cream to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Stir in the buttermilk. Cover and set in a warm place (between 80-90 degrees) over night. A gas oven with the warmth of the pilot light should be sufficient. The crema should look noticeably thinker. If you are using a mason jar for this step, make sure not to seal the lid to tightly.
3. Refrigerate the mixture between 4 and 8 hours to finish the thickening process.
4. Add salt, pepper, and any other optional ingredients to the crema either by mixing by hand or in a blender.
