White CheeseHere is the difference between fromage blanc and creme fraiche.

To make the Cheesecake with Prunes from our Dordogne story, you'll need both fromage blanc and creme fraiche. What's the difference? They look similar, share a pleasantly sharp taste, and are sometimes used interchangeably. But fromage blanc, as its name suggests, is a fresh white cheese; it's made by culturing nonfat milk, then draining the liquid whey from the solid curds. Creme fraiche is not cheese at all, but a cultured cream; it's used primarily in cooking. Fromage blanc can be cooked, too, but it's also eaten at the end of a meal, dusted with sugar or with salt and pepper—or mixed with minced garlic and parsley.

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White Cheese

Here is the difference between fromage blanc and creme fraiche.

By Cathy Young


Published on March 18, 2002

To make the Cheesecake with Prunes from our Dordogne story, you'll need both fromage blanc and creme fraiche. What's the difference? They look similar, share a pleasantly sharp taste, and are sometimes used interchangeably. But fromage blanc, as its name suggests, is a fresh white cheese; it's made by culturing nonfat milk, then draining the liquid whey from the solid curds. Creme fraiche is not cheese at all, but a cultured cream; it's used primarily in cooking. Fromage blanc can be cooked, too, but it's also eaten at the end of a meal, dusted with sugar or with salt and pepper—or mixed with minced garlic and parsley.

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