Recipe for Cafe Creme

Well, here's an interesting discussion on it. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/cafe-creme

And this site might help with the making of it. https://coffeeblog.schaerer.com/en/coffee-world-report/cafe-creme

which seems to be just espresso and whole milk

It's not whole milk but liquid "crème fraîche".

and fell in love with both cafe creme and Perrier,

Perrier could lose its authorization to market its water for health reasons; it is accused of having sold as "natural mineral water" water that has undergone disinfection treatments, following bacterial contamination.

Try a lighter roast of coffee. I gave up bitter burned beans and enjoy my large mugs of stovetop espresso with warm milk much more.

Yes, Perrier, owned by Nestle, is in trouble here in France for not reporting the bacteria, chemicals, fecal matter, and using several kinds of filters, and UV lights, all of which are not allowed for any water sold as pure mineral water. They've been doing this for a long time. Filtered drinking water is much cheaper. And they are selling drinking water at mineral water prices.

These things are controlled by legislation in France and Perrier has been a bad player...with the help of some elected officials.

a creme is not made with creme fraiche which is basically a type of sour cream

It is made with whole milk and a little cream and of course one or two shots of espresso

If you want to try to recreate it, look for "coffee cream." It is basically a 10% cream--higher fat content than milk but lower than heavy/whipping cream.

I's easy to find in much of Europe but not so much in the US.

By the way, I'm not talking about the fake stuff.

In fact, I'm drinking a cup as I write this.

It helps to have a high protein whole milk, rather than stuff which has been taken apart and reconstructed in a factory.

f you want to try to recreate it, look for "coffee cream." It is basically a 10% cream--higher fat content than milk but lower than heavy/whipping cream. I's easy to find in much of Europe but not so much in the US.

In the U.S., half and half has about a 12% fat content (varies by brand) so it works as a substitute for coffee cream.

It is made with whole milk and a little cream

There is no milk in a real “café crème” it is actually made with crème fraîche, that’s why it has this name

Thanks, everyone. I ordered a less-bitter roast after trying Bustelo first (Fire Department Coffee, believe it or not - see link below), and whole milk is on my grocery list. I don't think creme frache would work because it has a tart taste to it. I may also need to experiment with how much espresso goes in to the Moka. It's a shame about Perrier, but given that I can't find their glass bottles anywhere (only plastic, which I hate), I may experiment with some other brands. Thanks again.

Review of espresso brands:
https://www.tastingtable.com/1682008/store-bought-espresso-coffee-brands-ranked/

Yes, it’s crème fraîche liquid, at least what some recipes write. It doesn’t mean the one we use for savoury sauces. Half and half more than suffices. Anything with half and half is delicious. Hide your bathroom scale.

If you use milk (whole or not whole) instead of crème fraîche, it is more of a "café au lait", in other words a latte and not a real café crème.

I have been researching this since we got back from Paris, and not a single website or recipe calls for creme fraiche. The cafe creme I had in Paris was not tart. However, some places do add a sugar cube to the whipped and warmed whole milk.

This is the place we took our food tour with: https://parisbymouth.com/primer-ordering-coffee-in-paris/

This is one site I found: https://lavieongrand.com/how-to-make-a-french-cafe-creme/

Here's what UK Trip Advisor says: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k5613184-How_to_make_Cafe_Creme-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

Honestly (and my apologies), the only place I've seen creme fraiche mentioned is here on this thread.

I see creme liquid and creme fleurette that both seem like our. 'cream' in the US. I use them with strawberries and the fleurette if I want to make whipped cream (chantilly). neither is sour like creme fraiche. I think half and half is closer to creme legere i.e. light cream and that might work if you want actual cream in your 'creme'.

Beth, Your research is correct. Frankly, I don't know what is in it, but I suspect whole milk. I rarely order "un grand crème" even though my local café can make it layered and pretty. I have no idea when these became a thing, and I don't remember any French family or French friends ordering this. Coffee machines in hotels and restaurants don't offer un crème as an option, just café au lait or cappuccino. After lunch, we order straight espresso or a noisette, which is an espresso with a hazel nut size drop of milk.

At home, I drink a 12 oz expresso & milk mixture every morning, made from a 6-cup Bialati stovetop mocha maker mixed with 6 oz of milk heated in the microwave. I just measured my bowl into a Pyrex measure. I've been drinking café au lait since the 1970s and un crème tastes like what I make at home but a lot smaller and a lot more expensive.

I hope you find the beans you like. Yes, café au lait in the morning is yummy, and don't pay attention to everything we write. You found good info.

One of the first errands I run when I arrive in Paris is buying whole milk and creme fleurette to mix. It approximates what I know of as half and half, which doesn't exist anywhere in the world but the US. I wonder why.

Anyway, I'm guessing that the creme fraiche that JoLui is talking about isn't what we know as creme fraiche here in the US, which would be akin to adding sour cream to your coffee...which I did by mistake once in Paris. Bought creme epaisse instead of creme fleurette...what a rude surprise THAT was.

Sorry bethvonbehren but the websites you mention are wrong.

When I say “crème fraiche” I mean liquid crème fraiche.

“Fleurette cream” is the same as liquid crème fraiche, "fleurette" is just a name used by professionals in the dairy industry..

Other creams are called "crème épaisse" (thick cream) or "semi-épaisse" (semi-thick).
It is obvious that they are unsuitable to go with coffee.

Go look in a supermarket in the butter and crème fraîche section, you will see all these kinds of "crèmes"

https://www.carrefour.fr/s?q=cr%C3%A8me+fraiche

You are absolutely correct JoLui. The confusion comes from two different products used for different purposes but named almost the same:
Liquid crème fraîche, unfortunately abbreviated to crème fraîche by some writers, is pure and has no bacterial culture.
Crème fraîche has bacterial culture.

Even I got confused when I bought crème fleurette for pana cotta.

Bottom line: at home in the US experiment between whole milk, half and half and US whipping cream.

So I asked two baristas at cafés where I go: MILK, good old milk. The foam on top is the "crème du lait" so they say and it's the same as a cappuccino but with more milk but without the cocoa powder on top. In other words, the coffee is more diluted than in a cappuccino.

Thank you, everyone. (I can't figure out how to reply individually, sorry.). Elizabeth made the very good point that a cafe creme is more diluted than a cappuccino. After buying a better (less bitter) espresso, I've been working on my ratio. Cappuccino is a 1:1 ratio, but a cafe creme has a bit more milk (but also less froth), and it's stirred. So I use the 1:1 ratio plus a little more (it's not exact) don't use the froth (not a fan anyway - but the frother makes the milk warm), and then stir it in. I think I am as close to a cafe creme as I'm going to get without moving to Paris. Thank you again.