MatthewB

We have legitimate poll results. I allowed no undue interference or preference. October 17th-19th. Herr Doktor Gualojote, we await.

What type of pictures would you like? I was thinking of the jars--the volume difference between the yogurt & sour cream shows well this way. (We used some of the buttermilk version with berries after we finished the gratin & realized our faux paux. So volume with the buttermilk won't contrast with the others.) And perhaps in a dish? Let me know & I'll take some pictures today & post them tomorrow.

The results are in. From best to lesser . . . 1. Buttermilk 2. Sour cream 3. Yogurt Gualojote & I tasted last night before serving--ummm, in a wine haze we forgot to serve the creme fraiche with the blueberry gratin. Buttermilk was the clear winner; however, it could have used more fermenting time. (18 hours plus 5 in the fridge.) I re-tasted just now & the sour cream is quite close to the buttermilk. Where I'd go from here . . . I'm convinced that sour cream & yogurt can beat buttermilk. But it all comes down to the quality of the product & the amount of active cultures. The Organic Valley sour cream definitely created more volume & I'm assuming that this is due to more active cultures--it's a good quality sour cream. I wouldn't bother trying this with Dannon yogurt again. I'll scout out better yogurt (and perhaps some other sour creams) & try this experiment again soon. For now, it's quality quality quality. (Big surprise, huh?)

Mr. G brought along homegrown tomatoes & cucumbers. I'm off to the farmer's market. And I'll report on the creme fraiche! Tonight will be much fun.

My hunch is that you're absolutely right, Bux. I noticed in one of the links that Suvir provided above that Jim Dixon is fairly adamant about a particular brand of yogurt. Unfortunately, that brand wasn't available to me whilst shopping yesterday. Perhaps someone will followup my quick-&-dirty experiment with one or more that compare particular brands of yogurt, buttermilk, & sour cream? My batches are still brewing, but here's what I did: Heated three cups of the cream to 95* F. Separated cream into one pint jars--all labeled to note the appropriate mixture. (Thank goodness I remembered to do that! ) Added 2 tablespoons of Country Fresh Buttermilk to one jar. Added 2 1/2 tablespoons of Organic Valley Organic Sour Cream to one jar. Added 2 1/2 tablespoons of Dannon Natural Plain Yogurt to one jar. Mixed, covered, etc. I was disappointed that the only plain active yogurt I could find was Dannon. And the line drawing of Rachel Ray on the packaging didn't make up for this disappointment. I'll report after we compare the mixtures at the dinner gathering this evening.

I'm boring when I'm not at least slightly cryptic. But a hint . . . don't worry about Reilly's comments. I assume you've better activities with which to pass the time.

Im curious to know what you edited out from this post. Note that I. Reilly is inactive. I doubt you'll hear. Furthermore, I'd doubt that you'd want to know anyway. Forward rather than backward!

And here's the previous thread.

Don't apologize. You gave me an opportunity to run with my lame Cohen/bourbon joke again.

There was a thread with the same theme started about three weeks ago. The consensus was that one should listen to Leonard Cohen whilst cooking. And then only after a pint of bourbon.

Please report. Guajolote & I will be doing it for our dinner tomorrow evening.

Just returned from the grocery . . . Picked up three cups of heavy cream (pasteurized & *not* ultra-pasteurized) And yogurt, buttermilk, & sour cream. (According to the packaging, all three contain active cultures.) I'll put the three different versions together after lunch. More later . . .

The Spring website is back up.

Leftover prime rib chunks mixed into a roasted root veggie hash. That's actually one of my favorite breakfasts. (But topped w/ two poached eggs.)

Where's Jeb?

Wo ist der Diktator?

I've been grilling pork tenderloins this summer. Indirect method. Medium heat or a bit higher. Cover tenderloin(s) with a pie pan. Turn when necessary. About 15-20 minutes. I shoot for about ~145 internal degrees. I guess I was thinking that you'd enjoy the sauce, relish, or whatever. However, you'd not want to eat the whole thing that way. How about picking up a "standard" tenderloin & doing both for comparison? (BTW, this summer I've been enjoying spicy mango "relishes" with pork tenderloin.) Edit: About the same as doc.

How bout "barely clad"? Sure, brown on stovetop, if you'd like. Salt, pepper, & cooking fat, too. Perhaps, "plain" might be a better word choice than naked. Or, just "simple"?

What about a simple naked roast on the tenderloin? Then choose your condiments, make a sauce, a relish or whatever. Half a bite naked, half a bite with whatever you choose.

Word, Jin. A strip steak--a tad less than medium rare--is quick & simple for breakfast.

Ahhh, thanks, sladeums. I guess I shouldn't be concerned about "low-fat" buttermilk whilst making creme fraiche. Cheers!

Hell if I know. I have no problem displaying & accepting my ignorance. School me on buttermilk!

Well, I'm completely off work tomorrow. I might do all three & see what everyone thinks on Saturday evening.

Thanks, Suvir. I searched & found that thread but I'd assumed that it was just about the commercial product. That thread covers the buttermilk method. And there's also Jim Dixon's yogurt method. So which method might be "best": Witty's, the "standard" buttermilk, or Dixon's yogurt?

I'm going to "make" creme fraiche for the dinner that guajolote & I are doing for Saturday evening. So, tomorrow morning I'd like to do this. I'll always done this with sour cream & buttermilk before. However I found a new recipe last weekend in Helen Witty's "The Good Stuff Cookbook." Witty's recipe calls for 1 pint of heavy cream warmed to 90* to 95* F. Then add 1/4 cup sour cream. Let sit, etc etc. I can only find fresh "low-fat" buttermilk locally. So might Witty's recipe be better? Advice?