Crema Mexicana

also called crema · mexican crema · mexican sour cream · crema agria · table cream

The table

2 cups(480 mL)heavy creamwarm to 85°F (29°C)whisk in the buttermilk, culture 24 hrstir in the lime and saltchill 4 hr
1/2 cup(120 mL)whole milk
1/2 cup(120 mL)cultured buttermilk
1 Tbs(15 mL)lime juice
1/2 tsp(from 1 lime)lime zest
1/2 tspfine sea salt
Tap anything to cross it off.

What to lay out

Everything the recipe asks for, sitting under the step that eats it. Tick each one as you measure it.7 things to get out.

Pans and tools

1warm to 85°F (29°C)

2whisk in the buttermilk, culture 24 hr

goes in with what step 1 made

3stir in the lime and salt

goes in with what step 2 made

Cooking it

Tap a step when it is done; the next one lights up.

The clock

Start to finish
at least 1 day 4 hrtwo waits that overlap count once
Needs you
none givenof the steps that give a time

2 of the 4 steps never say how long they take, so both numbers are floors. The recipe itself says 1 day 4 hr.

  1. warm to 85°F (29°C)

    not timedfrom the start

  2. whisk in the buttermilk, culture 24 hr

    1 daywalk awayfrom the start

  3. stir in the lime and salt

    not timed1 day in

  4. chill 4 hr

    4 hrwalk away1 day in

Drawn to scale, so a long wait really does take up the room it takes. The shortest stretches keep a sliver so they stay visible; their times are printed beside them.

You'll need saucepan

Goes with

See how it is written
>> title: Crema Mexicana
>> category: Dressings & Dips
>> tags: cream, cultured, mexican, condiment, make-ahead
>> counters: Panadería, Taquería
>> aka: crema, mexican crema, mexican sour cream, crema agria, table cream
>> pairs-with: birria-de-res, refried-beans
>> servings: 12
>> time: 28 hr 15 min
>> step.1: warm to 85°F (29°C)
>> step.2: whisk in the buttermilk, culture 24 hr
>> step.3: stir in the lime and salt
>> step.4: chill 4 hr

Warm @heavy cream{2%cup}(480 mL) and @whole milk{1/2%cup}(120 mL) in a #saucepan{} to 85°F (29°C), which is barely warm to a finger. Hotter than 110°F and the culture dies.

Whisk @cultured buttermilk{1/2%cup}(120 mL) into @&(~1)warm cream{}, cover the pan with a cloth, and leave it on the counter to culture ~ferment{24%hr}, until it coats a spoon and smells faintly sour.

Stir @lime juice{1%Tbs}(15 mL), @lime zest{1/2%tsp}(from 1 lime) and @fine sea salt{1/2%tsp} into @&(~1)cultured cream{}. Mexican crema is pourable and lightly salted, which is what separates it from sour cream.

Refrigerate @&(~1)crema{} ~chill{4%hr} to set; it thickens as it cools and keeps 2 weeks.