Mascarpone, Crème Fraîche (CF), Cream Cheese or Sour Cream: Which One?

With the holidays rapidly approaching, it’s a good time to investigate the difference between four food products that are especially popular during the hedonistic holiday season.  How do they compare?  Can they be substituted for one another?  What are their price differences?   In terms of health, which one is the best choice?

                 Mascarpone is an important component of Tiramisu's wildly rich texture & flavor

Let’s start first with the one with the highest saturated fat content, (up to 75% butterfat), Mascarpone.  This unctuous Italian triple-cream cream cheese is made from extra rich cream.   Lactic acid is added, allowing the cream to separate into a watery substance, leaving behind a luxuriously decadent “cheese” with a voluptuous velvety texture. Pricewise, Mascarpone costs more than the others but it’s in a league of its own for adding richness, a luscious texture, and an intense buttery flavor.

                                         CF can be added to hot dishes without curdling  

The closest substitution for Mascarpone is CF (or English clotted cream if you can find it.)  CF, as its name suggests, has culinary roots in France.  Made from heavy cream, this decadent, nutty and tangy dairy product is produced by adding a bacteria culture to ferment or "sour" the cream (e.g. buttermilk or yogurt can be used as the starter).   CF can vary from as little as 20% to 45% fat depending upon the fat content of the initial cream used and the saturated fat of the bacteria culture).

CF has an advantage that lower fat sour cream and cream cheese do not:  it can be used in both hot and cold foods.  Because of its higher fat content, CF will not curdle, making it a great choice for elevating the richness of hot dishes.

                          A baked potato with sour cream is a near perfect American classic 

Sour cream (usually 20% fat) has nearly half the fat of CF and only one-fourth the fat of Mascarpone.  It is less versatile than CF and Mascarpone because it curdles when added to hot foods.  Sour cream's flavor is definitely tangy and if that's a flavor profile the dish can accommodate, then it's a good choice.  The reasonable price of sour cream, also, may make it a good choice to add a creamy profile to dishes.

                            Cheesecake is a real splurge...but it's the holidaze so why not? 

Last, is the ubiquitous cream cheese.  A made-in-America product, cream cheese is becoming more and more popular overseas perhaps due to its more reasonable price and thicker consistency.  Like all other products discussed in this article, cream cheese is made by the fermentation process, however, unlike the others, cream cheese is made from milk and cream.  It’s fat content is 30% making it fatter and richer than sour cream, but less rich than the others.

Cream cheese's flavor is somewhat benign when compared to the other three dairy products which are all tangier.  If all you have is cream cheese but want to amp up the flavor, mix it with a little goat cheese.  Or, if you simply want to elevate the richness, mix it with a little whipping cream.

In review, the four items listed in the title begin with the highest fat products first.  Per ounce, Mascarpone is the most expensive and cream cheese generally is the least expensive.  Which one to use for the holidays?  Depends on the richness and texture you're seeking...and what you're willing to give up health-wise to get it.