Burnt, Baby, Burnt

Heard about the cook who was so bad his chicken cordon bleu had to be renamed cordon noir? That quip is only marginally more sophisticated than the jokes Henny Youngman used to make about what a bad cook his wife was because she burned everything.

Lots of things can go wrong when cooking a dish, like putting in too much of something or too little of something or leaving out something entirely. But with all due respect to the late Paul Prudhomme, who made a reputation "blackening" redfish, burning is just about the worst sin a cook can commit, something you can usually only get by with when roasting marshmallows.

There is, however, one dish where burning is absolutely essential, and that dish is as elegant as any you can imagine. It is crème brûlée, or in English, burnt cream. Topped with a layer of caramelized or "burnt" sugar, it is the perfect end to any holiday meal, ready to outshine pie, cake, or even chocolate trifle.

Though crème brûlée is clearly a French name, at least two other countries besides France lay claim to it. Perhaps surprisingly, one of them is England. It turns out that a favorite (or should I say favourite?) dish served in the Trinity College, Cambridge, dining hall is something they call Trinity Cream. It is essentially crème brûlée, emblazened on top with the college crest. However, the college, on its website, disavows inventing it. Thus, the fact that the school put its stamp on it can hardly be taken as evidence that crème brûlée originated in England.

Understandably, the French contend that crème brûlée is their creation. The recipe for the dessert first appeared in print in a cookbook by Louis XIV's head chef, Francois Massialot in 1691, considerably prior to recipes in British cookbooks. Curiously, however, recipes for the dish do not feature prominently in French cookbooks until the mid-20th century. Even the encyclopedic Larousse Gastronomique contains no recipe for it by name. Indeed, the great French pastry chef, Pierre Herme, claims to have tasted it first not in France, but at the famed New York restaurant Le Cirque, which put the dessert on its menu, and on the map, in the 1980s.

But the owner of LeCirque admitted that he was inspired to promote the dessert after trying the Spanish version, crema Catalana, the recipe for which dates back to the 14th century. Hence, Spain, arguably, might be where crème brûlée was actually invented.

The truth is, these custards of various formulations have existed as far back as the Middle Ages, so it may never be possible to precisely pinpoint the origin of today's crème brûlée. But as one who has had the good fortune to sample the concoction in England, France, and Spain, I can say that while speculation about its history is interesting, the finished product, regardless of preparation, always fills me with "burning" desire.

Christmas Crème Brûlée

This is my favorite recipe for crème brûlée, from Joy of Cooking, with appended variations suitable for the holidays. The novel technique for the sugar glaze comes from www.sophisticatedgourmet.com.

• 2 cups cream
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together eggs and sugar until blended. Bring cream just to a summer, then gradually stir into sugar and egg mixture. Add vanilla and pour into four 6-ounce ramekins. Place in water bath, and bake at 325 degrees until barely set and quivering in the center, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool, cover, and chill until cold, at least eight hours. Meanwhile, sprinkle ½ cup sugar evenly over parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees 12 to 15 minutes until melted and golden. Cool, break into shards, and pulverize in food processor. Evenly sprinkle cold custards with 1/2 tablespoon of the caramelized sugar and broil for 30 seconds to one minute to remelt into one peice. Let sit two minutes until hardened.

Gingerbread Creme Brulee: Replace sugar with 1/3 cup maple syrup and add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon ginger to cream while warming.

Eggnog Creme Brulee: Replace cream with eggnog and add 1 teaspoon each nutmeg and cinnamon.

Peppermint Creme Brulee: Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract and garnish finished custards with crushed peppermint candies.