Smetana is a sort of thick, high-fat-content sour cream, ubiquitous in Russia and other Eastern European countries. It has a great variety of culinary uses, from putting it in borscht to baking cakes with it.
In the United States, and in many other places, buying good smetana in a store is basically impossible. Fortunately, it’s very easy to make at home.
Contents
The recipe below assumes a 16-oz. portion of smetana, but it scales easily, either up or down, basically without limit. I usually make smetana in wide-mouth 16-oz. mason jars.
An unopened jar of smetana easily keeps for a month or more. After opening, should be used within about a week. (After that, it doesn’t really go bad—unless your refrigerator temperature is set unusually high—but the activity of the live cultures continues to work on the smetana, turning it from a smooth and creamy texture into separate curds and whey.)
Ingredients
- 9 oz. full-fat milk
- 6 oz. heavy cream
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to jar. Close lid tightly. Shake jar very well to combine.
- Place closed jar in a warm place (approx. 85–90 °F is ideal; the inside of a turned-off gas oven with a pilot light works well, for example). Leave jar overnight.
- Place jar in refrigerator, and let chill overnight.
- Smetana is ready for use.
