A soured cream similar to crème fraîche, but much heavier and thicker with usually 36% to 42 % milkfat or even higher, and more sour in flavour than crème fraîche. It has good cooking properties as it does not curdle when added to hot foods.
Lovage. A large unwieldy herb. Pick the stems off the leaves, tie them and hang them to dry for about 3 days. When crisp, crumble the leaves and store. Good in hotpots. Lovage seeds are used mainly in Indian cooking, and are from a plant of the caraway family. The greenish-brown seeds are a little larger than celery seeds and have a strong aroma of rather coarse thyme. Oregano can be substituted.
