Chiboust cream is pastry cream with stiffly beaten egg whites folded into it. It can be flavoured with chocolate, liqueurs, orange zest, and / or vanilla. Vanilla is the most common flavouring. It can be served plain and chilled on its own, or used as a filling for cakes or pastries. It is used, for…
Crème Brûlée © Denzil Green Crème Brûlée is a baked custard. It’s made with cream instead of milk, to make it richer, and like a regular baked custard, has eggs for both added richness and to help it set. After the custard is cooked, a layer of sugar is sprinkled on top, then carmelized. The…
Crème Caramel is like Crème Brulée, in that it is also a baked custard. Unlike Crème Brulée, though, instead of using all cream, it uses cream and milk. Before the uncooked custard is poured into the baking dish, the bottom of the dish is covered with a thin layer of dark brown caramel sauce. When…
Crème d’amandes is a sweet almond paste. It is used in croissants aux amandes and in making Crème Frangipane. It is also used to fill galette des rois, and pithiviers. It is made from equal parts (at least in the metric measurements used by the French) of white sugar, butter, almonds, and eggs. For industrial…
Crème de Mûre is a thick, sweet liqueur made from alcohol, blackberries and honey. There are many different brands, including Marie Brizard and Edmond Briottet. The alcohol content averages about 20%.
A liqueur based on the kernels on certain fruits, such as peaches or cherries. If this sounds odd, remember that peaches and cherries are closely related to almonds, and so have a lot of flavour that can be extracted. Literature & Lore Noyau is a French word meaning “kernel, pit or core”. It is closely…
Crème de Pêche is made by infusing peaches in alcohol. There are many brands. Some are clear, some are a light yellow colour, some like that by Briottet are more amber-coloured. Alcohol content is 18% abv. Cooking Tips Can be drizzled over ice cream or fruit salads. To drink, usually added to a sparkling wine…
Crème Fraîche (pronounced krem fresh, for those whose French is rusty) is a thick cream with between 30 to 40% butterfat in it, usually more towards 40 than 30. It’s so thick that you would generally spoon it rather than pour it. It has a slightly sour taste, contrary to what the “fresh” part of…
Crème pâtissière is a custard that is halfway between custard sauce and baked custard. It is used as a filling for baked goods such as Eclairs, Cakes, Boston Cream Pie, and Mille Feuilles. Language Notes The French don’t have a word for custard, so they call it crème.
Crème Plombières is Chiboust cream (pastry cream with stiffly beaten egg whites folded into it) into which fruit is also folded. It can be served chilled on its own, or in individual serving-sized pastry shells, or as a garnish for sponge cake.
Ice cream is a frozen sweet dish, based on a custard. The most popular flavour is vanilla, followed by chocolate. The most common defect in ice cream is the development of ice crystals in it. The answer on how to prevent this is easy: avoid any temperature fluctuations whatsoever. This, though, is far easier said…
Pastry cream is basically custard whose thickening has been aided with flour and/or starch. The the egg yolk in the custard does most of the thickening, though the starch does help out, too. It is a basic component in many French and Italian desserts. It in can be used as a layer between cakes, or…
