Crème brûlée

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Image:Crem brule closeup.jpg Crème brûlée (French 'burnt cream', IPA [ˌkrem bruː ˈleɪ] in English; [kʁɛm bʁy le] in French) is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hard caramel, created by burning sugar under a grill or other intense heat source. It is usually served cold in individual ramekins. The custard base is normally flavoured with just vanilla, but it can be flavoured in a number of ways, with chocolate, liqueur, fruit, etc.

It is first attested in France, in Massialot's cookbook, in 1691. The French name was used in the English translation of this book, but in the early 18th century, it was called 'burnt cream' in English.<ref>The Oxford English Dictionary has a 1723 quotation.</ref>

In Britain, it is associated with Trinity College, Cambridge, where the college arms were "impressed on top of the cream with a branding iron"<ref>Davidson, s.v. crème brûlée</ref>. It was introduced to Trinity College in 1879,<ref>Florence White quoted in Davidson</ref> though some cookbooks claim a much older origin. <ref>Smith, Delia (1997). Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course. page 482: BBC. ISBN 0563362499.</ref>

Often the hardened sugar on top will be carmalized by igniting a thin layer of liqueur sprinkled over the top.

In Catalonia, it is called crema catalana, and has a custard base aromatised with lemon and cinnamon.

1 See also
2 Bibliography
3 References
4 External links

[edit] See also

Crème caramel or flan, a custard topped with a soft caramel sauce
Portuguese-style egg tart, a custard tart possibly influenced by this dessert

[edit] Bibliography

Alan Davidson, The Oxford Companion to Food, ISBN 0192115790.
various, "Origin of Crème Brulée", Petits Propos Culinaires 31:61 (March 1989). According to [1], concludes that it is French in origin.