26 Mar The story on a plate : crème brûlée

– Massialot, what is the name of that delicacy you have made for dessert today? – asked the Duke, breaking with a small gold spoon the caramel crust, which burst with a pleasant crunch and revealed a defenselessly soft cream underneath.

– I called it “crème brûlée,” Your Highness. Although the Spanish call it “Catalan cream” and the English call it “Trinity cream”.

– Rascals!!! I hope you will ensure this dessert is to be considered truly French from now on? Vive la France!

The Duke Philip of Orleans, brother of King Louis XIV, liked to eat and even cooked himself. At his Château de Saint-Cloud, he hosted grand dinners where he also served crème brûlée.

The recipe for this dessert was first recorded in the cookbook of its chef, François Massialot, which today allows the French to cheerfully show their neighbors their tongue in a dispute over which country crème brûlée was invented in.

The Duke, along with his chef, were long since swept away by the wind of History, but the magical delicacy continues to give unforgettable taste sensations to its fans all over the world.

Have you heard the crackle of that thin golden crust? And do you know how delicious it is, with its caramel flavor? And what is inside?

Taste this dessert in its best version:

– Moscow, restaurant and confectionery“Pushkin”where they make crème brûlée with strawberries;

– In St. Petersburg, the Brasseria Na Fontankerestaurant offers creme brulee according to the classic recipe (perhaps from the Duke of Orleans himself?);

– Samara, the French cafe-bakery“Sophie i Annabelle”will surprise you with its crème brûlée with caramelized brown sugar;

– Sochi,Grill’Agerestaurant: crème brûlée made on a base of cream with Madagascar vanilla and fresh raspberries;

– Krasnodar,VinSent Café and the Parisian dessert version, as in Van Gogh’s time.

And the bravest can make crème brûlée on their own with our recipe:

Ingredients for 2 people:

150 ml 35% fat cream, 150 ml milk, 50 g sugar, 3 yolks, a vanilla pod, 2 tbsp. brown sugar for the caramelization

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Baking time: 10 minutes

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

2. Mix the cream with the milk.

3. Cut the vanilla pod and “scratch” the grains away with a knife.

4. Put the mixture of milk, cream and vanilla on the heat and bring to the boil.

5. Whip the yolks with sugar.

6. While you keep stirring, pour the milk/cream/vanilla mixture into the yolks.

7.Pour into the molds and put in the oven for 10 minutes .

8. After the preparation, cool it down and put it in the fridge.

9. Before serving, sprinkle with brown sugar and bake the sugar with a gas burner.

Our tips and tricks:

1. If you don’t have a burner, use the grill function in the oven, having first placed the molds with the cream in a bowl with cold water and ice cubes to keep the cream from heating up while the sugar caramelizes.

2. If you don’t have special molds for crème brûlée, take ordinary porcelain or ceramic cups with thick walls.

3. It would be better if you make the dessert the day before your guests come and leave it overnight in the refrigerator.

That’s it. All that remains is to arm yourself with your favorite dessert spoon – and watch for the tenth time the film about Amelie from Montmartre.

Bon appétit!