CAMBRIDGE BURNT CREAM
See crème brûlée.

 

CARAMEL CUSTARD
With caramel custard, caramelized sugar is mixed into the custard prior to baking.

Don’t confuse it with crème caramel (flan), where a layer of caramel is added to the bottom of the mold, creating a dark caramel top and sauce when the custard is unmolded.

 

October 3rd is National Caramel Custard Day.

CHARLOTTE

A molded custard that can be cold or hot. Traditionally, the mold used is smaller in diameter at the base than at the top, or bucket-shaped, but almost any mold is acceptable. For a cold charlotte, the mold is lined with sponge cake, ladyfingers, biscuits, or bread and filled with layers (or a mixture) of fruit and custard or whipped cream that has been fortified with gelatin (Bavarian cream) or mousse. The dessert is chilled thoroughly and unmolded before serving.

 

The original charlotte, a fruit pudding with a lady finger shell (created in a mold like the one below), is said by some to have been named for Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III of England (Mad King George, 1738-1820)—but this may or may not be so. English bread puddings lined with bread and filled with fruit appeared around her time, so the theory is that the name could have been a tribute.

Another theory is that the name Charlotte evolved from the Old English word charlyt, referring to a type of custard dish.

When the dessert was refined in France in the early 19th century by the great chef Antonin Carême—charlotte Russe, with Bavarian cream and ladyfingers— the name charlotte was retained, although by then it likely referred to the style rather than a specific person.

The two most prominent charlottes are:

• Charlotte Russe, made with a Bavarian cream center, was created for the Russian Czar Alexander by the great chef Marie-Antoine (Antonin) Carême, who decorated it elaborately with whipped-cream rosettes.
• Apple Charlotte (Charlotte aux Pommes) is typical of a hot charlotte, which uses a buttered bread (or brioche) shell filled with sweetened fruit or fruit purée, baked and served hot with fruit sauce. In an Apple Charlotte, the apples are sautéed with Calvados, an apple brandy.

CREAM CUSTARD
While many people search for “cream custard,” the term they should be seeking is custard sauce or crème anglaise, the pourable, unbaked version of custard that is used as a sauce. Seek no more: Here’s a quick and easy recipe. Over low heat, or in a double boiler over hot water, combine 6 large egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 cups scalded whole milk, and 1/8 teaspoon salt until the custard coats a spoon (about 7 minutes). Cool, flavor to taste with 1-2 tablespoons of brandy, dark rum, Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur, or sherry, or 1 teaspoon or more of vanilla. Jar and refrigerate until ready to use—you can keep it for a week.  Also see crème anglaise, below.

CREAM PUFF
A cream puff is a choux pastry (pâte à choux) filled with whipped cream or custard. It originated in Italy in the 1600s and is said to have been created by Poelini, a chef to Catarina de’ Medici; in 1533, she married the duc d’Orléans, the future King Henri II of France, and brought her favorite foods (including ice cream) to France. The name derives from the old French meaning “to cherish,” which is the same as the word for cabbage (choux). Some say pâte à choux, or cabbage paste, is so named because the cream puff looks like a cabbage, but “cherish” has a stronger hold.

CRÈME ANGLAISE
French for “English custard,” crème anglaise is a rich, pourable custard sauce that can be served hot or cold over cake, fruit, or other desserts. Made with eggs, sugar, and milk or cream, it is stirred over heat until it thickens into a light sauce. However, it’s a delicate operation: too much heat turns it into scrambled eggs! Vanilla is the basic flavoring, but coffee, chocolate, or liqueurs can be added. With additional yolks and with heavy cream, it becomes the “custard” used for French ice cream. With additional yolks, gelatin, whipped cream, and flavoring, it becomes Bavarian cream. Here’s a recipe.
 

CRÈME ANGLAISE COLLÉE
Custard thickened with gelatin, for pastries.

CRÈME BRÛLÉE
The richest and thickest of the three classic, silky, baked French custards (crème caramel and pot de crème are the others).  All three are made from eggs, sugar, milk, and/or cream in different proportions, along with a flavoring such as vanilla. Crème brûlée is made from heavy cream and egg yolks, and is topped with a brittle layer of caramelized sugar (brûlée is French for “burnt,” crème brûlée means “burnt custard”). The sugar is usually burned under a salamander or other intense heat source. Crème brûlée can be served cold or warm, and is usually served in individual ramekins. While the traditional custard base is flavored with just vanilla, variations include chocolate and the entire international spice cabinet, liqueurs, green tea, etc.

CRÈME CARAMEL or FLAN
The lightest of the classic French custards, crème caramel is made with whole eggs as well as yolks, milk, and cream. Caramel syrup is poured into the mold or ramekin before adding the custard base. After the custard has set, it is unmolded, leaving the caramel sauce on top and pooling around it. Note that crème caramel will usually cook much faster than the other custards because of the extra egg whites—their proteins coagulate at a lower temperature than egg yolks. Also, due to the egg whites, crème caramel is stiff enough to stand on its own. Crème caramel came to the U.S. in the 19th century via New Orleans, but did not become popular until the 1980s when it was introduced by French chef Alain Sailhac of New York’s Le Cirque restaurant. See the photo at the top of the page.
 

Crème Chantilly is simply sweetened whipped heavy cream, often flavored with vanilla. It’s used as a topping for desserts like fresh berries, cakes, pastries, hot chocolate, and ice cream. The name comes from Chantilly, a town in France associated with fine cuisine. It likely emerged in 17th-century France, in the kitchens of the Château de Chantilly, where lavish banquets were held. The chef François Vatel, maître d’hôtel at Chantilly in the 1600s, is often (though not definitively) credited with popularizing or refining sweetened whipped cream at the château.

It is a more refined whipped cream than crème Chiboust.

Note that whipped cream itself existed earlier, in Renaissance Italy, called neve di latte (milk snow).

Crème fouettée is a French word for whipped cream. It can be unsweetened or just slightly sweetened. It thus differs from crème Chantilly, which is sweetened to accompany desserts and is also flavored with vanilla or other extracts or spices.

Crème fouettée can be flavored with cheese (finely grated), citrus zest, herbs (e.g., chives, dill, tarragon, parsley), horseradish/wasabi, mustard, and spices (e.g,. cumin, smoked paprika, curry). The
flavored whipped cream is used as a garnish on egg dishes, meats, savory tarts or galettes, seafood, soups, and vegetables.

Crème légère (literally, light cream) is crème pâtissière (pastry cream) that has been lightened by folding in whipped cream (crème fouettée). Crème légère is used when a rich yet soft filling is needed: for example, in charlottes, cream puffs and éclairs, crêpes, fruit tarts, genoise or sponge cake layers, and mille-feuille.

It’s richer and more stable than plain whipped cream, lighter and more elegant than pastry cream alone, and pairs beautifully with delicate flavors (berries, stone fruit, citrus, vanilla, liqueurs).

CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE
Pastry cream—a stirred custard thickened with cornstarch or flour and typically flavored with vanilla, although other flavors can be used. It is used to fill cream puffs, éclairs, and napoleons, or as a base for fresh fruit tarts. It is made of egg yolks, sugar, and cream or milk like crème anglaise, but the addition of starch (e.g., flour) gives it the stability to be brought to a boil.

With the addition of beaten egg whites, it becomes a crème chiboust, a filling for cream puffs. Crème pâtissière is the equivalent of confectioner’s custard, although the English confectioner’s custard is a less rich kind than French crème pâtissière.

CURD
Not a custard because it lacks cream, curd is made from fruit juice, typically citrus, plus sugar, eggs, and butter. It is used to fill tarts, as a spread, and as a base for mousse.

CUSTARD
Custard is a range of preparations based on milk or cream and eggs, thickened with heat. Most commonly, it refers to a dessert or a dessert sauce, but custard bases are also used for quiche and other savory foods.

CUSTARD PIE or CUSTARD TART
An open (single crust) pie, tart, or tartlet with a custard filling. It can be a simple custard (cream and eggs, flavored with vanilla), chocolate, coconut, lemon, pumpkin, and so forth. It can also be a savory custard pie, like a quiche. A cheesecake is essentially a cheese custard pie. See our Pie & Pastry Glossary for more information about pies.

CUSTARD PUDDING
This term can refer to baked custard, to soft custard that has been thickened with cornstarch into a pudding consistency, or to any of a number of commercial pudding mixes, such as Bird’s Custard in the U.K. or Jell-O Cook & Serve Custard Pudding & Pie Filling in the U.S.

CUSTARD SAUCE
A thinner version of crème anglaise.