What is creme brulee and how to make it at home

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

What is creme brulee? It is a dessert consisting of a custard cream base topped with a contrasting layer of burnt sugar. It is usually served slightly chilled. The heat from the top layer tends to warm the custard on top, leaving the center cool. The cream base is traditionally flavored with vanilla, but may contain many other flavors.

The history of the delicacy

What is creme brulee in terms of culinary history? The earliest known dessert recipe is found in a 1691 cookbook by François Massalot. The name "burnt cream" was used in an English translation in 1702. In 1740, French cookbooks mention a similar recipe called "English Cream".

Creme brulee is not very common in French and English culinary publications of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It became extremely popular in the 1980s, after which it was calledsymbol of the decade.

Catalan counterparts

Speaking of what creme brulee is, it is impossible to ignore the mention of identical recipes in Catalan cuisine. Dishes called crème catalana or crème cremada almost completely repeat the French dessert. To prepare these delicacies, a custard was made, on which boiled sugar was poured and subsequently cauterized 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 Saint Joseph's Day. Nowadays, it is consumed at any time of the year. Modern versions of custard are flavored with lemon or orange zest and cinnamon.

Grinding sugar was first documented in 1770. The recipe was first mentioned as crema catalana (Catalan cream) by the Spanish friar Juan de Altamiras in his 1745 cookbook, which indicates the Catalan origin of the dish.

Cooking technique

Creme brulee is usually served in individual molds. The caramel topping can be prepared separately and placed on top just before serving. Alternatively, the crust may be formed directly on top of the custard. To do this, sugar is poured onto the dessert in a thin layer, then caramelized with a special burner.

There are two ways to make creme brulee. The general format is cooking"hot" custard traditionally by beating egg yolks with sugar in a double saucepan 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, then adding 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 heavy cream is added to the mixture, and then vanilla. As soon as a thick fragrant cream is obtained, it is laid out in forms. Then the containers are placed in a large saucepan, into which boiling water is poured to the middle of the walls of the molds. The pan is then placed in the oven and kept there until the top of the custard is firm. Such heating allows you to get a thick creamy dessert.

How does this dish look today?

The recipe hasn't changed much these days. 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 a mousse or pudding, but a specific thick treat.

Some people think this is a complicated dessert, but it's actually easy to make. Since the list of ingredients is small, everyone can cook a delicacy at home. Feel free to experiment with adding cinnamon or other flavors instead of vanilla if you like.

The recipe for creme brulee at home does not involve any secrets and does not require special tools. If you don't have a hand torch,you can place the entire tray of molds under the top heat of the oven and watch the sugar caramelize. This process is called the French term brulee.

How to make it yourself?

Having found out what creme brulee is and what it requires, you can start cooking. The complete list of required ingredients looks like this:

• 10 egg yolks (room temperature);
• half a glass of sugar;
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream (room temperature);
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract;
• 1/4 cup caramel sugar (after making the base).

Cooking process

Preheat oven to 150°C. Separate the egg yolks from the whites and set the latter aside for use in another dish.

In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar until it dissolves and the mixture turns pale yellow. Add whipped cream and vanilla and beat with a mixer on low speed until all ingredients are well combined. Pour the resulting mass into special molds or bowls almost to the brim (leave about 5 mm of free space at the top). Use a spoon to scoop out foam or bubbles.

Place the filled molds on a large baking sheet with high sides and pour hot water into it. Its level should rise slightly higher than three-quarters of the height of the containers. Bake for 55 minutes.

After that, carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven andleave the molds in a water bath until cool. Then take them out of the water, wipe them clean and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Before serving, remove from refrigerator and sprinkle about two teaspoons of sugar on each top of the custard. Using a small hand burner, melt it until you get a burnt caramel. If you don't have this equipment, place the molds on the top rack of the oven and heat from above until the sugar melts. It is advisable to chill 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 required.

The creme brulee recipe for the cake will look similar. The ingredients and cooking technique are similar, the only difference is not to use portioned containers. Instead, take a baking dish and form the dessert in it.

If you don't plan on serving the dish right away, don't make the top half of it ahead of time. Cover cream with foil and store up to 2 days. Make caramel before serving. Such a coating will not remain completely solid if it is done in more than 3 hours.