Double cream

[Gemini_man]

Sorry to anyone on a diet but ......

Something that we have not found a good substitute for until yesterday -

My OH came back from LeClerc with a tub of Péchalou Crème Douce Epaisse

well I was forced to stop what I was doing while she opened it for a tasting and yep it has the taste and texture of double cream so it's Blackberry and Apple Pie with Double Cream this weekend [:D]

It's in a dumpy sort of brown and white pot in the cream section - only telling you all to help create a demand so LeClerc continue to stock it [:)]

[Just Katie]

Congratulations GM!  I am always unlucky when I buy this stuff in France, it is always a disappointment when you get it wrong isnt it?  Not the end of the world, but a disappointment.[:@]

[cooperlola]

I agree, Katie.  Why is it such a big thing to expect proper cream?  I find it odd; how did the French do chantilly (sp) before the arrival of those horrible squirty cream cans?

Creme Cru Fermier from Inter Marche round here is fab, though.

[Will]

Just to reinforce Cooperlola's point, the possibility of getting decent cream (at least to English taste) seems to be a local thing. There doesn't seem to be a direct equivalent to double cream available on a national basis. French supermarkets do seem to have a certain freedom to sell local products, probably because most are franchises rather than company-owned. So in Normandy and the Sarthe/Mayenne region we are able to get cream, usually with a 'creme cru fermier' or similar label, though it will be from a different producer in almost every locality. Some are better than others; a lot are really just unpasteurised creme fraiche, with that same tang, others are virtually identical to the best double cream.

Outside dairy-producing areas, the chances of finding such cream, or even fresh (i.e. non-UHT) milk get a lot slighter. Markets are another possible source, though again quality and flavour are highly variable.

This question comes up so often that maybe the moderators could make it a FAQ?

[Tony T]

Will this type of cream (Péchalou Crème Douce Epaisse) whip to a thick consistancy for spreading onto triffles ? 
Thanks

[Geordie girl]

Tony, I use the tubs of crème entière (pouring cream) and whisk it up with a sachet of Chantilly and it comes up in peaks and is great on a trifle. Tastes just like fresh cream, lovely  [:D]

[memb]

[quote user="Geordie girl"]Tony, I use the tubs of crème entière (pouring cream) and whisk it up with a sachet of Chantilly and it comes up in peaks and is great on a trifle. Tastes just like fresh cream, lovely  [:D][/quote]

Fixe Chantilly is what you're looking for in a small box made by Vahine (its usually next to the flour).

[Geordie girl]

Trust me to try and help and then get the name wrong    doh [:'(]

[Gemini_man]

[quote user="Tony T"]Will this type of cream (Péchalou Crème Douce Epaisse) whip to a thick consistancy for spreading onto triffles ? 

Thanks[/quote]

Hi Tony, yes it will but the big difficulty is getting it - our LeClerc haven't had any recently so we asked if they could order some more (it's made in the Dordogne and Péchalou is only a small company) - well, it was expected to be delivered the Monday before Christmas but hasn't yet arrived - good job we already put a tub in the freezer just in case [:P]