Crème Brûlée

The origin of crème brûlée (burnt cream) is a hotly contested issue in annals of culinary lore. This traditional dessert made of custard topped with caramelized sugar is claimed as the invention of France, England, and Spain. The name burnt cream likely stems from the early mode of preparing the dish. Today, the sugar is generally caramelized using a torch or an oven grill, but the original method required the use of a burning-hot metal iron that stamped the top of the preparation an