one minute creme fraiche

I'm still celebrating Christmas, thanks to the ice storm we had. My delightful French friend from Normandy surprised me with a deep green caramelized onion and fresh pea soup ( I'll have to get the recipe, absolutely!) served with this homemade creme fraiche.

I tasted and raised my eyebrows - deliciously tangy but smooth, perfect creamy texture - where did she find this? And Mme. B. pulled a jar from her fridge, offered me a spoon, and tossed off the recipe.

You will need:

1 clean jar

1 small container of heavy cream ( 1 cup)

1 small container of sour cream ( 1 cup)

And that's it.

Pour the cream into the jar, add the sour cream, twist on the lid - and shake hard. Leave the jar at room temperature for about 24 hours and stir. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

Use as thickener or swirls in soups, in dips, as a topping for fresh fruit compote - I'm sure you can come up with a million uses.

And the clementines? Just so pretty with the sun shining on them .