Crèmes, Meringues, and Other Finishings

The word crème (cream) is used in so many ways in classic French cuisine that it can cause confusion, particularly if you are new to the terminology. As is evident in the section on dairy, crème refers to a number of dairy products (everything from clotted cream to crème fraîche). Crème can refer to soups (crème de potage) and even to alcoholic beverages like crème de menthe. The term les crèmes also refers to a number of preparations that share a similar creamy texture and are almost exclusively used in pâtisserie. It is to these that we will now turn our attention.