Ingredients
Cultured cream
- 500 mldouble cream, at least 35% fat, not ultra-pasteurised
- 3 tbspcultured buttermilk or live sour cream, as starter
To use
- rømmegrøt — sour cream porridge
- on flatbread with cured meat
- with waffles and jam
Directions
- Use the highest-fat cream you can find. Norwegian seterrømme runs to 35% fat or more, and the fat content is not incidental — it is what lets the cream release butterfat when heated, which is the entire basis of rømmegrøt.
- Warm the cream to 24°C (75°F) — barely warm. Rømme is set by a mesophilic culture that works at room temperature, and yoghurt heat destroys it.
- Stir in the starter thoroughly.
- Pour into a clean jar, cover with a cloth rather than a lid, and leave at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours.
- It is ready when it has thickened noticeably and smells faintly nutty and sour. It will still be pourable at this stage and does most of its thickening in the fridge.
- Seal and refrigerate at least six hours, after which it should be thick enough to stand a spoon in.
- It keeps two weeks in the fridge and sharpens as it goes. Keep two spoonfuls back to culture the next batch.
- For rømmegrøt, simmer the rømme, stir in flour, and keep stirring until the butterfat separates out and can be poured off — that golden butter is the point of the dish, and only genuinely high-fat rømme will give it.
Technique
- High fat, or rømmegrøt will not work. Ordinary sour cream simply will not release butter.
- Not ultra-pasteurised — UHT cream has been heated too hard to set properly.
- Room temperature culturing, not warm.
Substitutions
- Crème fraîche as a starter, which carries the same cultures.
- Double cream with a spoonful of mascarpone stirred in, to push the fat higher.
Variations
- Seterrømme is the traditional high-fat mountain-dairy version.
- Thinned with milk it becomes a dressing for cured meats and flatbread.
History
High-fat Norwegian sour cream that releases butterfat when heated, the basis of rømmegrøt.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rømme?
Rømme is a cheese & dairy from Norway: very thick cultured sour cream, cooked into porridge or spread on flatbread. High-fat Norwegian sour cream that releases butterfat when heated, the basis of rømmegrøt.
How long does Rømme take to make?
Rømme takes 10 min plus 24 hours culturing of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 500 ml. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Rømme?
Yes, within limits. Crème fraîche as a starter, which carries the same cultures. Double cream with a spoonful of mascarpone stirred in, to push the fat higher.
What is the most important thing to get right in Rømme?
Use the highest-fat cream you can find. Norwegian seterrømme runs to 35% fat or more, and the fat content is not incidental — it is what lets the cream release butterfat when heated, which is the entire basis of rømmegrøt.
