Crème brûlée

From Freepedia

Crème brûlée (French, "burnt cream", pronounced (IPA) [ˌkrem bruː ˈleɪ] in English; [kʁɛm bʁy le] in French) is a dessert consisting of a custard-like base whose sugar topping has been burnt into a delicate, glass-like caramelized layer. It is usually served cold in individual dishes called "ramekins".

It may have originated in Britain in the 17th century where it is also known as Trinity College cream. It is claimed that a chef at Trinity College, Cambridge accidentally burnt a custard he had sprinkled with sugar and served it up as a new dish.

Crème Brûlée is perhaps the most elegant of deserts. Purist gourmands demand that it be served sans flavourings, extra toppings and embellishments. The simplicity of the vanilla custard with the glassy caramelized surface form a classic contrast in texture, flavour and colour.

The perfectly prepared specimen will have a surface that is tissue-paper-thin, yet solidified by the application of the caramelizing torch. No remaining granularity in the sugar is tolerable. The custard should be satin smooth, with no lumps or discolouration, and certainly no addition of berries or other items.

The final requirement is that the dish be served to accomplish the fourth contrast successfully, that is the retained warmth of the caramelizing process, while the underlying contents retain the cool of the refrigeration process required to set the custard.

The classical service vessel is the flat, wide ramekin, perhaps 10cm in diameter and 2cm in depth. Also common, however, are smaller, deeper ramekins, which are about 7cm in diameter and 5cm deep.

References

[1] Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course by Delia Smith (BBC 1997) ISBN 0-563-36249-9 p.482.

[2] Perfecting Crème Brûlée (Cook's Illustrated, Nov & Dec 2001) p.22.