Crème brûlée

Crème Brûlée being prepared with a small torch

Crème brûlée ( /ˌkrɛm bruːˈleɪ/; French pronunciation: [kʁɛm bʁyle]),^[1] also known as burnt cream, crema catalana, or Trinity cream is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel. It is normally served cold.

The custard base is traditionally flavored with vanilla, but is also sometimes flavored with lemon or orange (zest), rosemary, chocolate, coffee, liqueurs, green tea, pistachio, coconut, or other fruit.

History

The exact origins are uncertain.

The earliest known reference of crème brûlée as we know it today appears in François Massialot's 1691 cookbook,^[2] and the French name was used in the English translation of this book, but the 1731 edition of Massialot's Cuisinier roial et bourgeois changed the name of the same recipe from "crème brûlée" to "crème anglaise".^[3] In the early eighteenth century, the dessert was called "burnt cream" in English.^[4]

In Britain, a version of crème brûlée (known locally as 'Trinity Cream' or 'Cambridge burnt cream') was introduced at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1879 with the college arms "impressed on top of the cream with a branding iron",^[5] The story goes that the recipe was from an Aberdeenshire country house and was offered by an undergraduate to the college cook, who turned it down. However, when the student became a Fellow, he managed to convince the cook.^[6]

Crema catalana

Crema catalana

In Catalan language; Crema catalana ('Catalan cream'), crema cremada ('Burnt cream') or crema de Sant Josep, is a Catalan dish similar to crème brûlée. It is traditionally served on Saint Joseph's Day, March 19, although nowadays it is consumed at all times of year. The custard is flavored with lemon or orange zest, and cinnamon. The sugar in crema catalana is traditionally caramelized under an iron broiler, never with a flame.

Crema catalana has inspired some other Catalan dishes, including Torró de crema,^[7] consumed during Christmas time, and crema catalana liqueur.^[8]

Technique

Crème brûlée flambée

Crème brûlée is usually served in individual ramekins. 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 broiler/salamander, with a butane torch (or similar), or by flambéing a hard liquor on it.

See also

• Crème caramel or flan, a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of soft caramel
• Custard tart
• Egg tart
• Flan

Bibliography

• Alan Davidson, The Oxford Companion to Food, ISBN 0192115790.
• "Origin of Crème Brûlée", Petits Propos Culinaires 31:61 (March 1989).

References

1. ^ L'Orthographie 1990)
2. ^ French 1691 recipe with historical notes
3. ^ Harold McGee, On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (Simon and Shuster) 2004:97; McGee notes "An English model for 'English cream' hasn't yet been unearthed."
4. ^ The Oxford English Dictionary has a 1723 quotation.
5. ^ Florence White, quoted in Davidson, s.v. crème brûlée;
6. ^ The story of its introduction to Trinity was published in 1908 in the Ocklye Cookery Book, as reported by Elizabeth David, Is There a Nutmeg in the House?: Essays on Practical Cooking with More Than 150 Recipes, p. 246
7. ^ Description with pictures of Torró de crema: (in Catalan)
8. ^ Official site of the creator and distributor of crema catalana's liqueur: http://www.campeny.com