Non-Dairy Cream
Feb. 16th, 2026 05:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Counterfeit Cream.
1 cup white wine, divided
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp coarse sugar, divided
small pinch saffron, ground
3 egg yolks
Pour 3/4 cup wine into a medium saucepan with the butter. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in the breadcrumbs and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes to thicken. Whisk in 3 Tbsp sugar and the ground saffron. Beat 1/4 cup wine into the egg yolks and whisk into the saucepan. Simmer, stirring, for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp sugar on top.
Tomasik, Timothy J., and Ken Albala. The Most Excellent Book of Cookery = Livre Fort Excellent De Cuysine, 1555. Prospect Books, 2014. ISBN 190301896X.
What worked: This was the second iteration; the first worked, but was a bit crumby. I lowered the breadcrumbs by 1 Tbsp and added an additional egg yolk, which gave a better custardy texture. I think this is dialed in. Flavor-wise, it was somewhat nondescript sweet with some fruitiness from the white wine.
What didn't: It needed slightly longer, 10 minutes instead of 5. But that's what testing is for.
Will I make it again? Now that the cream portion is adapted to my satisfaction, I can try the next phase - making small filled tartlets and frying them in butter. This is my food project for Beltane.
To make counterfeit cream, you'll make it this way. Take some white wine and put it over the fire in a terrine with a pound of fresh butter. When it begins to boil, put in some finely crumbled white breadcrumbs. When you see it start to thicken, throw in a good bit of sugar and a little ground saffron. But not too much. Then take some strained egg yolks and a little white wine and add them to the pan. When you see that it's thickened enough, take it off the fire and put it in a dish with some sugar on top. (Livre Fort, 1555)
1 cup white wine, divided
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp coarse sugar, divided
small pinch saffron, ground
3 egg yolks
Pour 3/4 cup wine into a medium saucepan with the butter. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in the breadcrumbs and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes to thicken. Whisk in 3 Tbsp sugar and the ground saffron. Beat 1/4 cup wine into the egg yolks and whisk into the saucepan. Simmer, stirring, for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp sugar on top.
Tomasik, Timothy J., and Ken Albala. The Most Excellent Book of Cookery = Livre Fort Excellent De Cuysine, 1555. Prospect Books, 2014. ISBN 190301896X.
What worked: This was the second iteration; the first worked, but was a bit crumby. I lowered the breadcrumbs by 1 Tbsp and added an additional egg yolk, which gave a better custardy texture. I think this is dialed in. Flavor-wise, it was somewhat nondescript sweet with some fruitiness from the white wine.
What didn't: It needed slightly longer, 10 minutes instead of 5. But that's what testing is for.
Will I make it again? Now that the cream portion is adapted to my satisfaction, I can try the next phase - making small filled tartlets and frying them in butter. This is my food project for Beltane.
