Monday, October 3, 2011

Creme brulee and german potato pancakes

The earliest known reference of crème brûlée as we know it today appears in Francois Massioliot's 1691 cookbook. and the French name was used in the English translation of this book, but the 1731 edition of Massialot's Cuisinier roial et bourgeois changed the name of the same recipe from "crème brûlée" to "crème anglaise". In the early eighteenth century, the dessert was called "burnt cream" in English.
In Britain, a version of crème brûlée (known locally as 'Trinity Cream' or 'Cambridge burnt cream') was introduced at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1879 with the college arms "impressed on top of the cream with a branding iron",The story goes that the recipe was from an Aberdeenshire country house and was offered by an undergraduate to the college cook, who turned it down. However, when the student became a fellow, he managed to convince the cook.  Creme Brulee  is considered a custard dessert.

The definition of tempering is:  Improve the consistency or resiliency of (a substance) by heating it or adding particular substances to it.  We did this in our recipe when we cooked the creme brulle and then reheated it the next day.  The result of our recipe was really good.  We had a nice caramel top and a smooth custardy inside.  It was really rich and tasted good.

 CREME BRULEE:

Ingredients

  • 1 quart heavy cream
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 2 quarts hot water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

http://visualrecipes.com/images/uploads/recipe_images/344_image1.jpg


Kartoffelpuffer is a type of potato pancakes.  Potatoes are the foundation of most German food.  Oktoberfest  is a traditional beer festival held in Munich.  At this festival they have food such as  Bratwurst, pork hocks, and sauerkraut.  Our result of the potato pancakes were good.  They were under cooked in the middle most likely because they were too thick, but they were good.  We added a little too much water so it was hard to cook them well.  They were very yummy though.  We might have been able to add more onion for flavor.

 GERMAN POTATO PANCAKES:

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in potatoes and onion.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
http://www.yesyoucancook.com/img/shredded%20potato%20pancakes.jpg