Today is National Crème Brulee Day. 10 things you didn’t know about Crème Brulee:
Crème Brulee has also been known as burnt cream, crema catalana, or Trinity cream.
Its earliest incarnation was in Spain in the 14th century when it appeared as crema catalana in the Catalan cookbook Llibre de Sent Soví.
Some Spanish recipe books referred to it as Cream of St Joseph as it was traditionally dessert served on Saint Joseph's Day.
The first time it appeared as crème brulee was in a French cookbook in 1691 by François Massialot and published by the Palace of Versailles.
The two recipes were virtually the same, except crema catalana is made with Milk, while crème brulee is made with cream.
So what is it? It’s a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel. The ingredients are vanilla, Sugar, cream, Eggs and Water. It is usually served in individual ramekins at room temperature.
If you want a vegan version, use coconut milk, corn starch, sugar, almond milk, vanilla beans and yeast.
The dessert was introduced at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1879 as "Trinity Cream" or "Cambridge burnt cream", with the college arms "impressed on top of the cream with a branding iron".
In a fancy restaurant, chefs use a butane torch to melt the sugar and make the Caramel, but if you’re making it at home, broiling for a couple of minutes will do the trick.
The largest crème brulee ever was 26 feet in diameter, weighed 1,600 pounds and was estimated to have two million calories. The recipe called for 4,000 eggs, 125 pounds of sugar, 115 gallons of cream, 19 gallons of milk and a gallon of vanilla extract. Chefs used an industrial blowtorch to caramelise the sugar.
Character birthdays
Puffball McKenzie, supermodel from Sprawling, Innovia in the Infinitus
dimension. Known for a particular fondness for the colour white and her disastrous relationships with rich and famous men. She had a one night stand with the superhero Power Blaster and was disappointed when he made it clear he wasn’t interested in taking it further. Eventually, she fell in love with Riley, the man who dealt with her social media technical issues. She has the power to create light, from a soft glow to illuminate a dark space to dazzling, blinding light. The power comes from when she was kidnapped by the Desperadoes, who carried her through a power generating wormhole. Read about her in Secrets and Skies and Closing the Circle.
Killing Me Softly
Sebastian Garrett is an assassin. It wasn’t his first choice of vocation, but nonetheless, he’s good at it, and can be relied upon to get the job done. He’s on top of his game.
Until he is contracted to kill Princess Helena of Galorvia. She is not just any princess. Sebastian doesn’t bargain on his intended victim being a super-heroine who gives as good as she gets. Only his own genetic variant power saves him from becoming the victim, instead of Helena.
Fate has another surprise in store. Sebastian was not expecting to fall in love with her.
Until he is contracted to kill Princess Helena of Galorvia. She is not just any princess. Sebastian doesn’t bargain on his intended victim being a super-heroine who gives as good as she gets. Only his own genetic variant power saves him from becoming the victim, instead of Helena.
Fate has another surprise in store. Sebastian was not expecting to fall in love with her.
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Secrets and Skies
Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.
Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.
Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.
Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.
Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.
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Closing the Circle
A stable wormhole has been established between Earth and Infinitus. Power Blaster and his friends can finally go home.
Desi Troyes is still at large on Earth - Power Blaster has vowed to bring him to justice. His wedding to Shanna is under threat as the Desperadoes launch an attempt to rescue their leader. Someone from Power Blaster's past plays an unexpected and significant role in capturing Troyes.
The return home brings its own challenges. Not everyone can return to the life they left behind, and for some, there is unfinished business to be dealt with before they can start anew.
Ben Cole in particular cannot resume his old life as a surgeon because technology no longer works around him. He plans a new life in Classica, away from technology. Shanna hears that there could be a way to reverse his condition and sets out to find it, putting herself in great danger. She doesn't know that she is about to uncover the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious past.
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