Ricotta is a soft Italian fresh cheese, slightly grainy and naturally low in fat. Yogurt cheese:Ī thicker version of yogurt made by straining all the the liquid out of plain yogurt. It will have the consistency, but not the flavor, of Fromage Frais or soft cream cheese (which are both sweeter). Quark is the German equivalent to Fromage Frais. Substitutions: Greek yogurt, plain yogurt (both low in fat) crème fraiche, sour cream Quark: It is less tart than either Greek or plain yogurt. It can be whipped to make it fluffy (sour cream can't be whipped) and is often used in desserts with fresh fruit.

Substitutions: Ricotta, cottage cheese, (both also low in fat) cream cheeseįromage blanc has the consistency of sour cream with a slightly less tart flavor and fewer calories. Substitutions: Plain yogurt, (lower in fat) crème fraiche, sour cream Fromage Frais:įromage frais is a soft, fresh cheese, similar in taste to cream cheese but much lower in fat. Any yogurt should be added at the end of cooking time and not boiled or it may curdle. It's a bit higher in fat than regular, plain yogurt. Greek yogurt is a very thick, very creamy yogurt, often made from ewe's milk in Europe. Substitutions: Greek yogurt, plain yogurt, (both lower in fat) sour cream Greek Yogurt: will keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator Stir, cover again and refrigerate for 6 - 10 hours before using. Cover and let sit at room temperature 12 - 24 hours. Mix 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream with 1/2 cup sour cream. Note: You can make crème fraiche at home: Unlike sour cream it won't curdle if boiled and it can be whipped like fresh cream. It has a slightly tart flavor, close to sour cream but a bit sweeter. Crème fraiche:Ĭrème fraiche is a mature, thickened cream. Not all products are available in all markets. I prefer not to use foods with a long list of of emulsifiers and stabilizers on the label. I do not use artificially 'low fat' or 'low cal' dairy products but, rather, those that are naturally lower. I use a variety of substitutions: some (like yogurt) are healthier, others (like crème fraiche) are about the same.

Quark yogurt