Trying to remember source of: "Originally Cambridge/Trinity Cream [crème brûlée] (England) didn't use sugar, as the cream was sweet enough."

[afn33282]

Possible variation:  "didn't use eggs, as the cream was so rich (only cream and sugar)."

 

I think in the original source the item was called "Eton Cream" but google brings up nothing for that search.

 

Possibly from Elizabeth David, Is There a Nutmeg in the House?  (No copy on-hand).

 

Does this sound vaguely familiar to anyone?  Goes in the lovely English tradition of naturalism in cooking.

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

Apparently page 246 of "Is there a Nutmeg in the House" discusses Trinity Cream.  

 

Reference here.

[JohnT]

This from Jamie Oliver's web site - http://www.jamieoliver.com/magazine/recipes-view.php?title=cambridge-burnt-cream

The French do a mean crème brûlée, but we’re willing to fight them for the naming rights to this classic custard with a hardened sugar crust. In Britain, at least, you’re eating either Cambridge Burnt Cream, or Trinity Cream. Granted, the recipe was first published as ‘crème brûlée’ (burnt cream) in a cookbook by the famous Gallic chef François Massialot in 1691, yet by the second edition Massialot had changed the name to ‘crème anglaise’. Perhaps he’d heard that a variant of the pudding had been on the menu at Trinity College, Cambridge, for 60 years already, where they even branded the college crest into the crust. Today, not even the Trinity dons are sure if that’s true. We don’t really mind, as long as we’re the ones getting to shatter that dark crust with a teaspoon and tuck into the silky vanilla custard beneath.

[afn33282]

"...burnt cream...as Elizabeth David describes in an essay on the subject in Is There a Nutmeg in the House?...turned up...in the kitchens of Trinity College, Cambridge, but in a simpler form... 

 

The custard itself was unsugared.

 

In her recipe for 'Cambridge Burnt Cream', Elizabeth Ayrton remarks: 'On no account add sugar to this cream - the whole point of the traditional dish is that the cream in unsweetened.' Its beauty lies in the contrast between the unadulterated cream underneath and the thick dark sugar on top, the kind you tap at with your spoon."

 

http://www.newstatesman.com/node/140359

 

It was probably E. David.  I need to reread Nutmeg...  I've never read Ayrton, unless she was quoted in a (forgotten) Saveur piece or something.

 

 

 I find this idea exciting. 

 

* the contrast between unsweetened cream and crust could be dashing

* the minimalism could really be elegant

* the reduction of sugar could show off the dairy

* the reduction in sugar could really make for a light, refreshing effect after having eaten. 

 

Any thoughts on this?

 

 

(thanks for the replies, JohnT, and Kerry)

Edited September 27, 2014 by afn33282 (log)

[JohnT]

Interesting! Just remember that in the period of development of this dish, well, "cream" was just that - thick and unpasteurised, as I remember it as a kid skimming it off the top of the milk. It was thick like syrup and had flaviour, unlike the watery white substance we find today that is called "cream" and has zero detectable flaviour.

[djyee100]

I suggest that you check out Jane Grigson's writings also. On Googlebooks, Grigson's commentary and recipe for burnt cream:
http://books.google.com/books?id=ej3cNgbF90gC&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=Jane+Grigson+trinity+cambridge+burnt+cream&source=bl&ots=hsWUiKXp9s&sig=VTYgsGkfE9OZ1j21vTA4EPMV9ko&hl=en&sa=X&ei=diInVK3OHJOxogSxuYCwDw&ved=0CFUQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Jane%20Grigson%20trinity%20cambridge%20burnt%20cream&f=false
 

[afn33282]

Interesting! Just remember that in the period of development of this dish, well, "cream" was just that - thick and unpasteurised, as I remember it as a kid skimming it off the top of the milk. It was thick like syrup and had flaviour, unlike the watery white substance we find today that is called "cream" and has zero detectable flaviour.

JohnT - I'm lucky to be in New York, where we have unpasteurized-dairy co-ops. I haven't completely explored their offerings, but I'm looking forward to working with raw cream and milk in desserts!

I suggest that you check out Jane Grigson's writings also. On Googlebooks, Grigson's commentary and recipe for burnt cream:

http://books.google.com/books?id=ej3cNgbF90gC&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=Jane+Grigson+trinity+cambridge+burnt+cream&source=bl&ots=hsWUiKXp9s&sig=VTYgsGkfE9OZ1j21vTA4EPMV9ko&hl=en&sa=X&ei=diInVK3OHJOxogSxuYCwDw&ved=0CFUQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Jane%20Grigson%20trinity%20cambridge%20burnt%20cream&f=false

Thank you djyee - This sounds lovely. Grigson's been on my to-read list for years. Just another reminder of what to expect!

I'd like to know what the minimum limits are for making a stable baked custard. Has anyone experimented with:

* using a mix of milk and cream

* reducing eggs

Edited September 27, 2014 by afn33282 (log)

[Lisa Shock]

It's not just about pasteurization, it's also about older breeds of cattle, ones that weren't bred for volume output. Try to find a Jersey-only dairy and get their cream. Barring that, get Guernsey. Holsteins and their hybrid descendants produce a lot of milk, but, it's fairly flavorless. Even as a child, I could taste the difference blindfolded. But, I was lucky enough to live next door to a dairy farm for a while.