Homemade Crème Fraîche and Preserved Lemon Salad Dressing

Crème fraîche is so easy and cheap to make at home yourself, there's really no excuse not to have it in your fridge at all times.

Yield: makes 1 cup

Time: 24 hours

For the Homemade Crème Fraîche

For the Dressing and Salad

Make the crème fraîche: In a clean glass pint jar, stir the cream with the buttermilk until evenly combined. Cover the jar with a cheesecloth and secure it in place with a rubber band. Let the cream stand at room temperature for 24 hours or until thickened to your liking (the longer it stands, the thicker the crème fraîche becomes). Once it's thickened, refrigerate the crème fraîche until ready to use. You will have 2 cups.
Make the salad dressing: In a small jar, combine 3⁄4 cup crème fraîche with the lemon juice, olive oil, and preserved lemon and season with salt and pepper. Close the jar and shake to emulsify the dressing. To serve, dress bitter or peppery salad leaves like arugula, endive, or radicchio with the creamy, tangy dressing.