Crème Brûlée
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''Crème brûlée'' or ''crème brulée'' (; ), also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream, and virtually identical to the original
crema catalana The dessert known in most of Spain as ''crema catalana'' ("Catalan cream"), but as ''crema cremada'' ("burnt cream") in Catalan cuisine, is similar to a ''crème brûlée''; the desserts have been called "virtually identical", although ''crema c ...
, is a
dessert Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and most parts o ...
consisting of a rich
custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency fr ...
base topped with a layer of hardened caramelized
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...
. It is normally served slightly chilled; the heat from the caramelizing process tends to warm the top of the custard, while leaving the center cool. The custard base is traditionally flavored with
vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus '' Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla ('' V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the plants produce the fruit from whic ...
in
French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the re ...
, but can have other flavorings. It is sometimes garnished with fruit.


History

The earliest known recipe of a dessert called ''crème brûlée'' appears in François Massialot's 1691
cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...
''Cuisinier royal et bourgeois''. The question of its origin has inspired debate within the modern gastronomical community, with some authors suggesting that ''
crema catalana The dessert known in most of Spain as ''crema catalana'' ("Catalan cream"), but as ''crema cremada'' ("burnt cream") in Catalan cuisine, is similar to a ''crème brûlée''; the desserts have been called "virtually identical", although ''crema c ...
'', whose origins date to the 14th century, may have inspired chefs throughout Europe. Some authors mention Bartolomeo Stefani's ''Latte alla Spagnuola'' (1662) as describing ''crema catalana'', but it calls for browning the top of the custard ''before'' serving with sugar on top. The name "burnt cream" was later used to refer to the dish in the 1702 English translation of Massialot's ''Cuisinier royal et bourgeois''. In 1740, he referred to a similar recipe as ''crême à l'Angloise'', or 'English cream', which further cast doubt on its origins. The dessert was introduced at
Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
in 1879 as "Trinity Cream" or "Cambridge burnt cream", with the college arms "impressed on top of the cream with a
branding iron A branding iron is used for branding, pressing a heated metal shape against an object or livestock with the intention of leaving an identifying mark. History The history of branding is very much tied to the history of using animals as a commodit ...
". No dessert by the name ''crème brûlée'' appeared again in French cookbooks until the 1980s. ''Crème brûlée'' was generally uncommon in both French and English cookbooks of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It became extremely popular in the 1980s, "a symbol of that decade's self-indulgence and the darling of the restaurant boom", probably popularized by
Sirio Maccioni Sirio Maccioni (5 April 1932 – 20 April 2020) was an Italian restaurateur and author known for opening Le Cirque. Biography Maccioni got his start at Oscar's Delmonico, Delmonico's. Owner Oscar Tucci once stated, "Sirio and with Tony May wi ...
at his New York restaurant ''
Le Cirque Le Cirque is a French restaurant that has had several locations throughout the New York City borough of Manhattan for more than forty years. It is currently closed, with its future status unknown. New York City history Le Cirque was establishe ...
''. He claimed to have made it "the most famous and by far the most popular dessert in restaurants from Paris to Peoria".


Technique

''Crème brûlée'' is usually served in individual
ramekin A ramekin (, ; also spelled ramequin) is a small dish used for culinary purposes. Name The term is derived from the French ', a cheese- or meat-based bowl baked in a small mould. The French term is in turn derived from early modern Dutch ', whi ...
s. Discs of caramel may be prepared separately and put on top just before serving, or the caramel may be formed directly on top of the custard immediately before serving. To do this, sugar is sprinkled onto the custard, then caramelized under a red-hot
salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...
(a cast-iron disk with a long wooden handle) or with a
butane torch A butane torch is a tool which creates an intensely hot flame using a fuel mixture of LPGs typically including some percentage of butane, a flammable gas. Consumer air butane torches are often claimed to develop flame temperatures up to appro ...
. There are two methods for making the custard. The more common creates a "hot" custard by whisking egg yolks in a double boiler with sugar and incorporating the cream, adding vanilla once the custard is removed from the heat. Alternatively, the egg yolk/sugar mixture can be tempered with hot cream, then adding vanilla at the end. In the "cold" method, the egg yolks and sugar are whisked together until the mixture reaches the ribbon stage. Then, cold heavy cream is whisked into the yolk mixture, followed by the vanilla. It is then poured into ramekins and baked in a
bain-marie A bain-marie (; also known as a water bath or double boiler), a type of heated bath, is a piece of equipment used in science, industry, and cooking to heat materials gently or to keep materials warm over a period of time. A bain-marie is also ...
.


See also

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Crème caramel Crème caramel (), flan, caramel pudding or caramel custard is a custard dessert with a layer of clear caramel sauce. History The origin of crème caramel (also known originally as flan) can be traced all the way back to the Roman Empire. Orig ...
, also known as ''flan'' (not to be confused with the English flan) *
List of custard desserts This is a list of custard desserts, comprising prepared desserts that use custard as a primary ingredient. Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on a cooked mixture of milk or cream and egg or egg yolk. Custard desserts Fi ...
*
List of French desserts This is a list of desserts from the French cuisine. In France, a chef who prepares desserts and pastries is called a pâtissier, who is part of a kitchen hierarchy termed ''brigade de cuisine'' (kitchen staff). French desserts * * * * * ...
* '


References


Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Creme Brulee Custard desserts French desserts British desserts Spanish desserts