Crème Bourguignonne

I received a surprise Christmas gift from my aunt ten days ago. A gift that I would not have ever expected. It was a little cookbook, but not any cookbook! It is written by the residents and staff of the retirement house where my paternal grandfather lives. They all contributed to it and you can find some lovely recipes in it.

I was only browsing my new little cookbook when I noticed I had an email from my aunt: "check out the dessert section, there is your grandmother's recipe for the crème bourguignonne in it".

Now this is something that brought tears to my eyes.

My grandmother passed away 11 years ago, she had leukemia. She was a truly amazing cook and I feel like what she left me is the best inheritance you could think of: an unconditional love for food and cooking.

I remember spending holidays at my paternal grandparents occasionally. My brother and I would be woken up at the crack of dawn by the sound of my grandfather writing books on his old typewriter. There were not many toys for us to play with in their house. We had to use our imagination a lot and make the best use out of two random pieces of a puzzle, a dozen Lego bricks and the leg of a Playmobil toy. I would occupy myself by drawing a lot and creating stories on paper. 

But one of the best things was to sit quietly on a chair in the corner of the kitchen and observe Mamie cooking (we called her Mamie; my other grandmother is Mamy, spot the difference). It did feel like a cooking show. I was never asked to help, I was only allowed to look and then eat.

It felt like the robot culinaire (mixer) was working constantly. Cakes, sauces, fish dishes, soups, terrines, patés, meat stews... There was always something delicious to eat.

During the Summer, we would eat cherry clafoutis practically every day. My grandmother used to leave the stones in the cherries and it gave the dessert such a wonderful flavour!

And then, during Winter time, we would eat la crème bourguignonne. This dessert is wonderful and fluffy, it is just like a warm hug. A warm hug with caramel and vanilla scents!

For the past few years, I have looked for the crème bourguignonne recipe a few times on the internet with no result. Every time, I meant to ask my mother for the recipe (my grandmother and aunts shared it with her) but then forgot. Did my grandmother call it like that? Is it meant to have another name? I have no idea. All I want is make the dessert and eat it, and try to share it... 

And that is why it brought tears to my eyes: all the memories, my grandmother, the fact I have looked for the recipe for a while and now it is here in my hands. Now, I can cook it, sit down with my bowl of crème bourguignonne, close my eyes and be transported to my childhood and my holidays spent observing my grandmother cooking many wonders.

I have decided to share the recipe with you because all of us deserve a vanilla and caramel scented spoonful of fluffy warm hugs this Winter! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

My Mamie's Crème Bourguignonne Recipe (Vegetarian)

Ingredients (serve 4 to 8 people)

For the caramel

70g caster sugar

15g liquid glucose

For the cream

1 litre milk

70g caster sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla essence

150g unsalted butter

3 tbsp flour

3 free range eggs (separate the whites from the egg yolks)

1. Put the sugar and liquid glucose in a small saucepan over medium heat. Agitate constantly with a metal spoon until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has turned into a golden caramel.

Transfer the caramel quickly into a baking dish as it will set quite fast. Move the dish around to spread the caramel all over the bottom. The baking dish I use is 27cm x 22cm and is 7cm deep. Make sure the dish you use is deep enough.

2. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan).

Boil the milk with the sugar and the vanilla essence and set aside.

Put the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once it has melted, add the flour and stir well. Add the boiled milk gradually and stir well until the mixture has thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon).

Take the saucepan off the heat and after 2 to 3 minutes, add the egg yolks and mix well.

Let this mixture cool down for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. In the meantime, whip the egg whites until you get stiff peaks.

Fold them in delicately with the custard-like mixture. Pour in the baking dish over the caramel. Put the dish on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top of the dessert is puffed and golden.

Serve it warm or cold in dessert bowls. 

I love eating it warm on its own on a cold Winter day. But when served cold, it goes well with a fruit coulis such as raspberries for example.

Bon appétit!