Three different types of custard dishes ()
Anytime I see crème brûlée on a menu, I find myself making room in my stomach no matter what giant meal I just stuffed myself with. There is always room for dessert. I thought I loved crème brûlée the most, but then discovered I loved flan just as much, and now I think I just love custard dishes. This newly discovered love led me on a culinary deep dive into see how custard influences desserts across Europe.
England: “Proper” English Vanilla Custard
Since custard is the ingredient that brings all these desserts together, it made sense to look into what custard is. Custard is a blend of egg yolk, milk and sugar (though some recipes, such as this vanilla custard, may call for additional ingredients such as flour or vanilla). While the ingredients are simple, the preparation requires attention to detail and specific techniques to ensure your custard comes out perfect. English custard is often used as a saucy topper for cake and bread.
France: Crème Brûlée
French for “burnt cream,” while England, Spain and France have all claimed the dish originated there, most people associate crème brûlée with France. The earliest known recipe for this dish appeared in a French cookbook in 1691. This dessert is a baked custard dish that allows the chef to use a torch to create the signature sugar layer on top.
The Roman Empire…then Spain: Flan
This caramel-covered wobbly custard dessert is a Spanish treat and only requires four ingredients. This dessert survived the Roman Empire and iterations involving eel in the ingredients, for Spain to bring the dish to the Americas where it received its Mexican flavors and influences.
The Netherlands: Vanilla VLA
This is a custard dish with the addition of cornstarch. This is a dish that has very specific rules attached to it. For vla to be considered vla, it must contain at least 50% cow’s milk and must have a fat content of at least 2.6%. According to visitingthedutchcountryside.com, “‘vla’ comes from the Limburgish word of ‘vlaai,” and in the 13th century, “vlade,” was used in writing for the first time and meant “thin wide pie.”
Germany: Raspberry Custard Kuchen
The history of eating cake with coffee in the afternoons in Germany dates back about 400 years. This delicious recipe combines the creamy custard with a crumbly cake topping and the tart sweetness of raspberries. The key to the best crumble is rolling the flour with cold butter according to chopnotch.com.
Italy: Zabaglione
This Italian custard brings in the flavors of Marsala wine to create an intriguing taste. It is believed that it originated in 1500s Florence in the Medici court. Simply Recipes’ trick to the perfect custard consistency is constantly whisking so it doesn’t curdle or burn.
Sweden: Ostakaka/Ostkaka
The combination of custard ingredients and dry cottage cheese curds creates this Swedish cheesecake. You can change it up by swapping out the cream for eggnog or milk or adding fruits, jams or nuts. This dessert originated in Småland and Halsingland as early as the 16th century and since 2004, November 14 is “Day of Ostkaka” in Sweden.
Greece: Galaktoboureko
Crispy phyllo and tons of scented syrup make this Greek custard dessert extra tasty. Its name is a combination of the Greek word for milk “gala” and the Turkish word for pastry, “bourek.” The website My Greek Dish advises using butter combined with goats’ and cows’ milk and to use semolina to achieve the most authentic dessert.
Moldova: Alivenci
Corn meal and cottage cheese add a Moldovan twist to make this custard treat that can be either savory or sweet depending on your choice of topping. Now-and-days, it is a popular dish found in pubs and restaurants, but its humble beginnings can be traced to being a peasants’ staple food.
Scotland: Scottish Trifle aka the “Tipsy Laird”
Replacing the sherry of an English trifle with whiskey is what makes this custard treat Scottish. You’ll need lady fingers and O.J. along with your custard ingredients to create this delicious dish. Although no one is sure when whiskey was swapped out for sherry originally, the first trifle recipe can be traced back to the 16th century.
