If you are interested in French cooking or if you are traveling in France, you may find yourself confused by the proliferation of crèmes in French desserts. You will find crème anglaise, crème patissière, crème brulé, crème frangipane, and crème fraiche to name just a few.
Here's a short list to help you tell those different crèmes apart so so that you will know what you are getting when you order dessert.
Crème anglaise - This translates literally as English cream. It is made by heating milk, adding it to beaten eggs, and than reheating the whole mixture until it thickens. It is frequently flavored with vanilla although other flavorings are possible. The result is a a fairly liquid dessert cream that is served cold, usually as an accompaniment to other things. A classic use of crème anglaise is in the confection of Ile Flottante (Floating Island) where you'll find islands of meringue floating on crème anglaise.
Crème Brulé - Arguably the most delicious of all French desserts, crème brulé is a symphony of contrasts. The cold, smooth, sweet crème, which is similar to a custard, sits under a crackling, hot, almost bitter caramelized topping.
Crème Caramel - The crème portion of this desert is very similar to a crème brulé. Here, however, the caramel is cold and liquid. If the caramel is on top of the custard, it is also known as a crème renversée.
Crème Patissière - This translates as pastry cream. You will find it used in all sorts of fashions in French desserts: as a layer in a cake, on the bottom of a fruit tart, or as the filling in puff pastry. Crème patissière is made in a fashion similar to crème anglaise, but flour or corn starch is added to the crème, so the result is considerably stiffer. This is basically what we call custard in English.
Creme d'Amandes - This is made from butter, powdered almonds, sugar, eggs and flour. It can be flavored with rum. It is used as a filling in various French desserts, notably a Pithiviers, which is a puff pastry pie.
Crème Frangipane - This is a mixture of crème d'amandes and crème patissière. It is used to fill various cakes and tarts, most famously the Galette des Rois, which is a cake eaten on and around Epiphany in France. Note the distinction between a pithiviers and a galette des rois.
Crème Fraiche - This is considerably different from the other crèmes I have mentioned, as it is a specific milk product used as an ingredient in many French desserts as well as other French recipes. Crème fraiche is obtained by skimming off the cream that naturally forms on the top of milk. It has a wonderful feel in the mouth and a taste that you might describe as nutty.
Crème Glacé - You know this as ice cream. The French make the distinction between glace, which is ice cream made from milk, and crème glacé which is ice cream made from cream.
Ready for dessert? I know I am! You can find simple French dessert recipes on my website if you want to get started.
