Ingredients
Soured cream
- 500 mldouble cream
- 250 mlwhole milk
- 3 tbspbuttermilk or live plain yoghurt, as starter
- ½ tspsalt
To serve
- gallo pinto
- warm tortillas, rice and beans
Directions
- Warm the cream and milk together to 24°C (75°F) — barely warm to the touch. Costa Rican natilla is a mesophilic ferment, so it works at room temperature rather than the higher heat a yoghurt needs.
- Stir in the buttermilk until evenly mixed.
- Pour into a clean jar, cover with a cloth rather than a lid, and leave at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours until it has thickened and tastes pleasantly sour.
- Stir in the salt. Costa Rican natilla is salted, not sweet, and unsalted it tastes like something is missing.
- Chill for at least six hours. It thickens considerably in the cold but should stay pourable — this is a cream you spoon and pour, not one that holds a peak.
- Spoon over gallo pinto, rice and beans, or hot tortillas.
Technique
- Keep three spoonfuls back to start the next batch, which is how a household keeps it going indefinitely.
- Cover with cloth, not a lid. Sealed, it traps gas and the cream separates into a curd and a watery layer.
- The milk in with the cream is deliberate — all cream sets too thick to pour, and pourable is the point.
Substitutions
- Live sour cream or crème fraîche as a starter, both of which carry the right mesophilic cultures.
- Single cream for a thinner natilla, which is closer to what is sold in Costa Rican supermarkets.
Variations
- The Colombian and Spanish dishes called natilla are custards and have nothing to do with this.
- Left another day it goes distinctly sharper, which some prefer with beans.
History
A dairy staple of the Central Valley, where cooperative creameries have supplied cream and cheese since the early 20th century.
Frequently asked questions
What is Natilla?
Natilla is a cheese & dairy from Costa Rica: pourable sour cream spooned over rice, beans and tortillas. A dairy staple of the Central Valley, where cooperative creameries have supplied cream and cheese since the early 20th century.
How long does Natilla take to make?
Natilla takes 10 min plus 24 hours souring of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 600 ml. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Natilla?
Yes, within limits. Live sour cream or crème fraîche as a starter, both of which carry the right mesophilic cultures. Single cream for a thinner natilla, which is closer to what is sold in Costa Rican supermarkets.
What is the most important thing to get right in Natilla?
Warm the cream and milk together to 24°C (75°F) — barely warm to the touch. Costa Rican natilla is a mesophilic ferment, so it works at room temperature rather than the higher heat a yoghurt needs.
