Crème caramel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crème caramel, flan, or caramel custard is a rich custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top, as opposed to crème brûlée, which is custard with a hard caramel top.
Both 'crème caramel' and 'flan' are French names, though 'flan' more commonly means a custard tart in French. The dish has spread across Europe and the world, and is known as 'flan' in Spanish-speaking countries. In the United States, the dish is now best-known in a Latin American context, so is often called flan; in Europe, it is generally known as crème caramel. Food historian Alan Davidson remarks,
- "In the later part of the 20th century crème caramel occupied an excessively large amount of territory in European restaurant dessert menus. This was probably due to the convenience, for restaurateurs, of being able to prepare a lot in advance and keep them until needed."[1]
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[edit] Preparation
Crème caramel is a variant of plain custard (crème) where sugar syrup, cooked to caramel stage or is boiled until it is thick and has a brownish color, is poured into the mold before adding the custard base. After the custard has set, it can be turned out, leaving a caramel sauce on top. Like all custards, crème caramel is made with whole eggs, milk or cream, and sugar. The typical flavoring is simply vanilla, however, there are numerous variations, including coconut, almond, pistachio, chocolate, lemon, orange, Cream Cheese and many other types of fruit. Another variation, very popular in Puerto Rico, involves adding a layer of cake to the flan. It is called Flancocho (flan-cake).
An imitation of crème caramel may be prepared from "instant flan powder", which is thickened with agar or carrageenan rather than eggs. In some Latin America countries, the true custard version is known as "milk flan" (flan de leche) or even "milk cheese", and the substitute version is known as just "flan".
[edit] Around the world
Packaged crème caramel is ubiquitous in Japanese convenience stores under the name purin (プリン?), or "custard pudding". Often, an entire shelf in a Lawson or 7-Eleven is dedicated to over a dozen brands and varieties.
In Argentina, Uruguay and some neighbouring countries, crème caramel is usually eaten with dulce de leche.
Crème caramel is also common in Vietnam.
A similar delicacy is served in the Philippines named as Lechè Flan, a lighter version of the Spanish flan, with it being boil cooked. It is a staple in all celebratory feasts.
[edit] See also
- Crème brûlée, a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a thin, brittle layer of caramelized sugar or just simply caramel.
[edit] Bibliography
- Alan Davidson, The Oxford Companion to Food, 1999. ISBN 0-19-211579-0.
[edit] References
- ^ Davidson, s.v. crème caramel
