Need advice on lactose-free ingredients for cream sauce

Cafe Society
1

Wow, that looks like a really stupid question when I see it in black and white. I have a great recipe for jalepeno cream sauce that I would love to make for a couple of friends. One of them is lactose-intolerant, and he laments often about how much he misses dairy. The recipe calls for sour cream and heavy whipping cream, heated until reduced by about half.

 Is there any soy or other lactose-free ingredients I can use that would taste as good and cook as well as the real thing?
2

Check the web for vegan products … since vegans don’t eat dairy products there are a whole range of soy substitutes. I’m not sure how they taste, since I mostly dislike soy milk and the like, but friends of mine who are vegan use them happily.

This is an Australian site, but I’m sure you can find versions in the US or wherever you happen to be.

http://www.vnv.org.au/Products/CreamVegan.htm

http://www.vnv.org.au/Products/CreamSourVegan.htm

And here’s a recipe for a cream sauce which uses tofu and soy milk you might be able to adapt for your recipe.

http://vegetarian.allrecipes.com/az/CrmScWithHrbsndNDiry.asp

3

Both sour cream and heavy whipping cream are hard to replicate, and nothing using soy will come even remotely close to the original taste.

There are milk-free substitutes for both, but I don’t know how well they will work together or whether they could just be substituted in the original recipe. Since you’re in Athens I’ll bet you have a Whole Oats or similar major natural foods store where you can buy these and try them out. Or see if there is a store selling kosher products, since observing Jews cannot mix milk and meat and have devised non-dairy substitutes.

Otherwise I agree with blackhobyah that a recipe for a vegan creme sauce that somebody else has labored over to get the tastes, ingredients and proportions right is the easiest and best way to go. You can probably google and find a million variations given the number of vegan sites on the web.

4

You might try making the cream sauce with lactose-free whole milk, maybe thickened with a tablespoon or 2 of the cream. I agree with those who say you’re not going to get there with soy. A tiny bit of dairy is often OK, but obviously his mileage may vary, and a jalapeno sauce doesn’t sound like the best way to find out he overdid it.

5

If your friend is lactose intolerant then he should know about the various lactase enzyme products available. I’m pretty severly lactose intolerant and can eat dairy relatively safely by ingesting a sufficient quantity of lactase enzyme along with my dairy products. I sometimes still get some gassiness, etc., but not the projectile defecation I used to get. For example, a small dish of ice cream costs me six pills (9000 FCC Lactase units/Caplet.)

A couple of caveats; some brands contain Aspertame. some brands cost way more than others. The best prices in my area are Costco’s Kirkland brand, and Wal-Marts house brand, I forget the name. (I try to not go to WallyWorld if I can avoid it.)
good luck, and if the recipe turns out to be good, please post it.

6

Well, I can post the original recipe, for anyone who wants to try it or improve on it:

 2 jalepenos (or 1 jalepeno and 1 habenero, if you want it really hot)

 1 clove garlic

 2/3 c sour cream

 1/3 c heavy whipping cream

 Chop the peppers and garlic, and heat them in a little butter and olive oil until soft.  

 Mix the sour cream and cream, add them to the pan, and cook until reduced by about half.  

 I usually toss this with shrimp and pasta, and it's really good.
7

Nope, it’s simply not possible to make that recipe and have it be nice if you use soy products. Taste and texture would be totally different.

Vance’s Darifree is made from potatoes and is supposed to be very good. It’s available by mail order and it is not particularly cheap. I don’t think it would sub for sour cream but it can be used as milk in sauces.