cream vs. half and half in a recipe, in the interest of lower fat
In quiche, for example, I heard one should not substitute half and half for cream (in the interest of lowering the fat a bit). Yet, my understanding is that you can substitute some whole milk for part of the cream (again, to lower the fat). (As I recall this had something to do with the pasteurization of each?) Is this true, and if so, why is whole milk a valid substitute while half and half is not?
My research suggests that if you do substitute milk for cream, you need to add back some fat, either in the form of oil or butter, and then what is the point?! ( I suppose in this case the substitution would be because you do not have cream on hand, only milk.) If milk is substituted without adding fat, I imagine the quiche would be okay -- hold its shape and taste good, it just would not be as rich?
I read that you can substitute evaporated milk --OR-- milk with a couple tablespoons of buttermilk for part or all of the cream. Have you had luck with either of these options?
Sure, I'd prefer to use whipping cream in my quiche (with creme frache -- a la a recent MSK recipe, which I believe has about the same amount of fat as whipping cream -- delicious, I have tried this). Yet, if not comparing quiches side by side, I would be just as happy with a lighter version. How would you remove some of the fat from a quiche, i.e. what would you sub for part of the cream? My goal is not to use skim milk and fat-free cheese, only to find an "every day" solution, and then I can save the all-cream version for special occasions.
Thanks!
Comments
For an "everyday" type solution, I use cottage cheese. You can whip it up in the Vita-Mix w the eggs to make it smooth and leave out the other liquids. It's not perfect, but it provides a richness to the recipe, as well as a shot of protein. Some of the cottage cheese products are really salty, so you have to keep that in mind.