Romanian Creme Brulee

I simply love those national dishes that have so many similarities with recipes from other countries, yet are different and delicious in their personal way.

For example, if you go to Spain, you will be able to enjoy a wonderful Crema Catalana. But as soon as you pass the border to France, you will find almost the same dish known worldwide as Creme Brulee.

If you ever come to Romania, you will see that we also have a version of this vanilla charlotte. It goes by the name of Crema de Zahar Ars (Burnt Sugar Cream). Even though it is not as pretentious as the other two versions that are far more popular, our dish is just as good and extremely easy to make.

Call it a creme brulee without a torch or call what you may, but let's start the instructions on how to make creme brulee done in a Romanian fashion.

• In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs with the egg yolks, vanilla paste, and 100 grams of sugar.

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• Whisk them until they become pale and creamy. Pour the cold milk and the double cream, stirring to combine.

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• In a saucepan, combine the remaining sugar with the water and the vinegar and start making the caramel. You add the vinegar because you want the caramel to be more liquid and easy to maneuver.
• Keep the pan on medium heat and stir from time to time. The caramel should form in about 5-8 minutes, depending on your stove. When it's ready, add the pinch of salt and stir.
• Pour one tbsp of caramel in a ramekin and turn the dish to coat its walls with caramel. Don't kill yourself to make it perfect. 1-2 cm should be enough. Repeat for all ramekins.

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• Pour the egg mixture over the caramel and place the ramekins in an ovenproof tray.
• Add water to the tray so the ramekins will be half-submerged, then place the tray in the preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius (320 F).

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• Bake them for 50-60 minutes.
• When they are ready, take them out of the pan and let them chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

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• Before serving, take a knife and gently detach the cream from the ramekin's walls. Put a plate on top of your ramekin and turn everything as you would when making Tart Tatin. Shake it a little, so the composition will end up on the plate.
• That's it! Your dessert is ready to be served.

As you can see, this Romanian creme brulee recipe is very easy to make, and it is perfect for a fast weekend dessert. Now, if you want to understand the differences between the three similar dishes, here they are:

• Crema Catalana is made with milk, lemon zest, and cinnamon and has only egg yolks in its composition;
• Creme Brulee is made with whole eggs, double cream and is baked using the Bain-Marie technique. Before serving, you add a layer of sugar on top of it, and you burn it with a torch.
• Crema de Zahar Ars is generally made in a big dish and not in individual ramekins. It doesn't have any burnt crust, and sometimes its composition has some small bubbles. It is taken out from the dish in which was prepared. Then, it is served on a plate along with its caramel juice.

To wrap this up, I love all three dishes, and if I were to pick a favorite, it would be an impossible task. However, if you want an easy creme brulee recipe, then the Romanian version will be your best friend.

* You can make this dish in a big ovenproof pan and serve it in slices. Actually, this is the traditional way to do it. Also, if you want to go traditional all the way, then add 600 ml milk and no double cream.

** Don't forget to tag us on Instagram when you make this recipe.

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