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Creams, Dessert
Appears in
Published 2004
Dessert creams are sweet dishes incorporating cream or egg whites, usually whipped, into a flavorful base. Highly popular in America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, creams were a ubiquitous treat on English and French tables no later than the seventeenth century and were transported to American shores as domestic dairying grew.
Creams were easily made at home, requiring only a pan set over a heat source, a fork or whip to create the volume, and a way of cooling the mix. Creams were originally and most typically flavored with fruits, nuts, coffee, or tea, although chocolate and vanilla debuted in the nineteenth century. Recipes fell into two basic categories, and the texture ranged from a spoonable, thick sauce to a billowy cloud.