A Little History... Crème Brûlée

THE LEGEND & HISTORY OF THE CRÈME BRÛLÉE

Just like with most renowned desserts, everyone claims they were the “first” to create the classic crème brûlée. France, Spain, and England all claim it originated there. There was a similar burned-sugar dessert back in 15th century England, and Spain has its own version that dates all the way back to medieval times. However, the first printed recipe for the crème brûlée is from the 1691 edition of the French cookbook “Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois” by Francois Massialot, a cook at the Palace of Versailles.

WHAT IS CRÈME BRÛLÉE?

French for “burnt cream,” crème brûlée is one of those desserts that seems simple to make, but in reality, requires quite a bit of finesse. The staple ingredients are cream, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk. The best part? The crackly, caramelized top, thanks to either a kitchen torch or an oven broiler. One rap with the back of your spoon and it breaks perfectly, giving you the unbelievable dichotomy of creamy and crunchy, warm and chill.

CRÈME BRÛLÉE IN THE UNITED STATES

Again, who can really know! There are records of Thomas Jefferson serving it in the White House during his presidency, James Beard mentioned the dessert in an 1970’s article from the LA Times, and versions of it could be found in several early 1900’s cookbooks. However, it’s US popularity really exploded when NYC’s famed high-end restaurant La Cirque put it on their menu in the 80’s. This allowed the crème brûlée to really position itself as a dessert for the elite. 

Nowadays, you can find crème brûlée just about anywhere. There are countless ways to dress it up and change the flavor profile, but there’s nothing quite like the classic, in our humble opinion.