What is creme brulee? This is a dessert consisting of custard cream base, coated with a contrasting layer of burnt sugar. It is usually served slightly chilled. Heat from the top layer tends to heat the custard on top, leaving the middle cool. The base of the cream is traditionally flavored with vanilla, but may contain many other flavors.
History of Goodies
What is creme brulee in terms of cooking history? The earliest known dessert recipe is found in the cookery book of Francois Massalot in 1691. The name “burnt cream” was used in a translation into English in 1702. In 1740, a similar recipe called “English Cream” was mentioned in French cookbooks.
Creme brulee is not very common in French and English culinary editions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It became extremely popular in the 1980s, after which it was called the symbol of the decade.
Catalan counterparts
Speaking of what cream brulee is, it is impossible to ignore the mention of identical recipes in Catalan cuisine. Dishes called catalana cream or cream-cream almost completely repeat the French dessert. To prepare these delicacies, a custard was made on which boiled sugar was poured and subsequently burned with a hot iron rod, creating a characteristic caramel crust.
Such recipes appeared in 17th-century Spanish cookbooks, usually under the name Cream of Saint Joseph, as it was a traditional dessert served during St. Joseph's Day. Currently, it is used at any time of the year. In modern versions, custard is seasoned with lemon or orange zest and cinnamon.
Sugar firing was first documented in 1770. The recipe is first mentioned as Catalana creams (Catalan cream) by the Spanish monk Juan de Altamiras in his cookbook in 1745, which indicates the Catalan origin of the dish.
Cooking Technique
Creme brulee is usually served in separate tins. Caramel coating can be prepared separately and put on top immediately before serving. In another embodiment, the crust can be formed directly on top of the custard. To do this, sugar is poured into dessert in a thin layer, then caramelized with a special burner.
There are two options for making creme brulee. The general format is to cook a hot custard traditionally by whipping egg yolks with sugar in a double pan and adding cream with vanilla after the egg mixture is removed from the heat.
Another method is by heating a mixture of egg yolks and sugar with hot cream, followed by vanilla at the end.
There is also a “cold” method in which egg yolks and sugar are beaten together until the mixture reaches the mousse stage. Then cold thick cream is added to the mixture, and after that - vanilla. As soon as a thick aromatic cream is obtained, it decomposes into forms. Then the containers are placed in a large pan, in which boiling water is poured to the middle of the walls of the molds. Then the pan is placed in the oven and kept there until the top of the custard is dense. Such heating allows you to get a thick creamy dessert.
What does this dish look like today?
Today, the recipe has not changed much. The composition of creme brulee in the classic version is cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla, as well as sugar caramel, as before. It is worth noting that this is not mousse or pudding, but a specific thick treat.
Some people think this is a complicated dessert, but in fact it is easy to make. Since the list of ingredients is small, everyone can cook a treat at home. If desired, you can experiment with the addition of cinnamon or other flavors instead of vanilla.
The recipe for creme brulee at home does not imply any secrets and does not require special tools. If you don’t have a manual burner, you can place the entire tray with tins under the top heating of the oven and watch how the sugar will caramelize. This process is called the French term brulee.
How to make it yourself?
Having found out what cream brulee is and what is required for it, you can start cooking. A complete list of essential ingredients is as follows:
- 10 egg yolks (room temperature);
- half a glass of sugar;
- 2 and a half cups of thick cream (room temperature);
- 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract;
- 1/4 cup sugar for caramel (after making the base).
Cooking process
Preheat the oven to 150 ° C. Separate the egg yolks from the proteins and set aside them for use in another dish.
In a bulky bowl, mix the egg yolks with sugar until it dissolves and the mixture turns pale yellow. Add whipped cream and vanilla and whisk with a mixer at low speed until all components are well mixed. Pour the resulting mass into special shapes or bowls almost to the edges (leave about 5 mm of free space at the top). Use a spoon to get rid of foam or bubbles.
Place the filled forms on a large baking sheet with high edges and pour hot water into it. Its level should rise a little higher than three quarters of the height of the tanks. Bake for 55 minutes.
After that, carefully remove the pan from the oven and leave the pan in a water bath until it cools. Then remove them from the water, wipe them off and refrigerate them for at least two hours.
Before serving, remove from the refrigerator and sprinkle about two teaspoons of sugar on each top of the custard. Using a small hand burner, melt it until burnt caramel. If you do not have such equipment, place the molds on the top rack of the oven and heat on top until the sugar melts. It is advisable to cool the dessert again (15 minutes) so that the caramelized sugar can harden.
Some helpful tips
Pouring the cream into the molds through a strainer eliminates any bubbles in the texture and creates a smooth surface. This is desirable, but not necessary.
The recipe for creme brulee for the cake will look similar. The ingredients and cooking techniques are similar, the only difference is not to use portioned containers. Instead, take a baking dish and form a dessert in it.
If you do not plan to serve the dish immediately, do not make the top of it in advance. Cover the cream with a film and store for up to 2 days. Make caramel before serving. Such a coating will not remain completely hard if it is done in more than 3 hours.