If you are interested in French cuisine or traveling in France, you may be confused by the proliferation of creams in French desserts. You’ll 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 creams apart so you know what you’re getting when you order dessert.
English cream – This literally translates to English cream. It is made by heating milk, adding it to beaten eggs, and then reheating the entire mixture until thick. It is frequently flavored with vanilla, although other flavorings are possible. The result is a fairly liquid dessert cream that is served cold, usually as an accompaniment to other things. A classic use of English cream is in the making Floating island (Isla Flotante) where you will find islands of meringue floating on custard.
brule cream – Possibly the most delicious of all French desserts, brule cream it is a symphony of contrasts. Cold, smooth and sweet cream, which is similar to a custard, sits beneath a crisp, hot, almost bitter caramelized topping.
caramel cream – The cream portion of this desert is very similar to a brule cream. Here, however, the caramel is cold and liquid. If the caramel is on top of the pastry cream, it is also known as lactose.
Custard cream – This translates as pastry cream. You’ll find it used in all kinds of fashions in French desserts: as a layer in a cake, in the bottom of a fruit tart, or as a puff pastry filling. Custard cream is done in a similar way to English cream, but flour or cornstarch is added to the cream, so the result is much more consistent. This is basically what we call custard in English.
Almond cream – It 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 pithivierswhich is a puff pastry.
frangipane cream – This is a mix of Almond cream Y custard cream. It is used to fill various cakes and pies, the most famous being the Roscon de Reyes, which is a cake eaten on and around Epiphany in France. Note the distinction between a pithiviers and a galette des rois.
Cream – This is considerably different from the other creams I have mentioned as it is a specific dairy product that is used as an ingredient in many French desserts as well as other French recipes. Crème fraiche is made by removing the cream that naturally forms on top of the milk. It has a wonderful mouthfeel and flavor that you might describe as nutty.
Ice cream – You know this like ice cream. The French distinguish between frozenwhich is an ice cream made with milk, and ice cream which is ice cream made from cream.
Ready for dessert? I know who I am! You can find simple French dessert recipes on my website if you want to get started.