I would like to welcome you to our series sharing Food Holidays: July 21st, 2021. Take a look at today’s Holidays and let me know which one you most would like to celebrate and why.
Five Facts about Creme Brulee:
- The Custard base is traditionally flavored with Vanilla, but is also sometimes flavored with Lemon or Orange (zest), Rosemary, Chocolate, Coffee, Liqueurs, Green Tea, Pistachio, Coconut, or Fruit.
- The earliest known reference of Crème Brûlée as we know it today appears in François Massialot’s 1691 cookbook. The French name was used in the English translation of this book, but the 1731 edition of Massialot’s Cuisinier Roial Et Bourgeois changed the name of the same recipe from “Crème Brûlée” to “Crème Anglaise”.
- In Britain, a version of Crème Brûlée (known locally as ‘Trinity Cream’ or ‘Cambridge Burnt Cream’) was introduced at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1879 with the college arms “impressed on top of the Cream with a branding iron”. The story goes that the recipe was from an Aberdeenshire Country House and was offered by an undergraduate to the college cook, who turned it down.
- In Catalan language; Crema Catalana (‘Catalan cream’), Crema Cremada (‘Burnt cream’) or Crema de Sant Josep, is a Catalan dish similar to Crème Brûlée. The dessert is traditionally served on Saint Joseph’s Day, March 19, although nowadays it is consumed at all times of year. The Custard is flavored with Lemon or Orange Zest, and Cinnamon. The Sugar in Crema Catalana is traditionally Caramelized under an iron broiler or with a specially made iron, not with a flame.
- Crème Brûlée is usually served in individual ramekins. Discs of Caramel may be prepared separately and put on top just before serving, or the Caramel may be formed directly on top of the Custard, immediately before serving. To do this, Sugar is sprinkled onto the Custard, then Caramelized under a broiler/Salamander, with a butane torch (or similar), or by flambéing a liquor on it.
Recipe Creme Brulee
6 Egg Yolks 6 tablespoons White Sugar, divided ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract 2 ½ cups Heavy Cream 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- Step 2 Beat Egg Yolks, 4 tablespoons White Sugar and Vanilla Extract in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy.
- Step 3 Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil. Remove the Cream from the heat immediately. Stir Cream into the Egg Yolk mixture; beat until combined.
- Step 4 Pour the Cream mixture into the top pan of a double boiler. Stir over simmering Water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove mixture from heat immediately and pour into a shallow heat-proof dish.
- Step 5 Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Step 6 Preheat oven to broil.
- Step 7 In a small bowl combine remaining 2 tablespoons White Sugar and Brown Sugar. Sift this mixture evenly over Custard. Place dish under broiler until Sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn.
- Step 8 Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until Custard is set again.
National Junk Food Day
Junk foods are usually, by definition, high in Fats, Sugars, Salt, and Calories. But more often than not, they are delicious! Junk food day is the perfect day to treat yourself.
On Junk Food Day, you get to eat anything you want. Eat any amounts that you want, too. Tomorrow, however, it’s back to a healthy diet. Just don’t eat so much you end up with a Tummy Ache.
It doesn’t have to be candies either. Like bacon? Eat a lot of Bacon! If you like Chili Cheese Dogs? Eat all the dogs you want. Onion Rings, yes please. Pizza? Have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Junk Food Day is all about indulging in your favorites.
Please Note: Junk food may be hazardous to your health. After all, mom knows what’s best for you. Do so at your own risk and that risk includes having too much and Mom saying: “I told you so!”
Learn about Junk Food Day
Junk Food Day is a day that allows you to chow down on the foods that you usually would not. Junk foods, by their definition, tend to contain a lot of Calories, Salt, Sugar, and Fats, and they offer very little Nutritional Value. You may think that it doesn’t do anyone any favors to have a day that is dedicated to junk food but I do because it allows me to splurge and have all of my favorite foods. Would you like to join me?
However, if you follow a healthy and balanced diet, there is nothing wrong with having one day of the year whereby you can eat anything that you want to. In fact, this is encouraged, because it means that you are more likely to eat healthily the rest of the year. Of course, it is up to you whether or not you decide to fully take part in Junk Food Day, but we know that we will be!
History of Junk Food Day
Upon searching for the History behind this food filled day, we found no information on the origin of this day and it was most likely created by a diet conscious individual or group who desired to eat junk food, without guilt, at least one day a year, sounds like a great idea to me. For it to become a “national” day it requires an act of congress but I don’t mind celebrating Junk Food Day anyway. How about you?
But, what about junk food? When did this start to come into our lives? Well, this coincides with the advent of packaged foods throughout the late 1900s. Of course, for decades, home-cooked meals were still the standard. However, after WW2, junk food really started to take off. Did you know that? I didn’t.
The population was traveling more and eating out more, and this resulted in fast food chains and the frozen food aisle really taking off. There were so many different foods for people to choose from. However, it wasn’t until the 1970s that junk food started to get a bad name.
This was when Microbiologist, Michael Jacobson, actually coined the phrase. His aim was to try and curb our appetite for High Preservative, High Salt, and High Sugar Foods, which we were eating at a worrying rate.
Since then, there has been more knowledge and information about junk food, and a lot of food manufacturers have tried to make healthier versions of the junk food that we love the most!
Nevertheless, if you have junk food now and again yet you generally maintain a Healthy Diet, Junk Food shouldn’t do you any harm! After all, we all deserve a treat now and again, right?
How to celebrate Junk Food Day
Celebrate Junk Food Day by eating any Sweet or Salty Treats you want! You can bake Cupcakes, or make Cookies, heat up some Popcorn with lots and lots of Butter, purchase your favorite Candies. Invite friends over and have them bring in their favorites and make a Junk Food Buffet and spend the rest of the day watching movies. You can always go get some fast food for fun. Take a cheat day from your diet and have dessert for dinner.
Consider trying Junk Foods from other Countries. Japan has a particular talent for making fun Candy that you have to mix together. Look online to see if you can order special treats for the day. How about a piece of Candy from Korea who has Cheong Woo Pumpkin Candy.
The Ukraine has Mr. Fizzy, a small hard candy that fizzes in your mouth. Columbia has Jet Chocolates, which is a package of Chocolates that also comes with a Dinosaur sticker.
Japan has Unican Mikita Melon Milk Candy, which is a chewy Candy with Melon flavor. In Spain they have Violetas, Sugar Coated Natural Violets. In Poland they have a crunchy Wafer-Chocolate Bar called Prince Polo made by Olza.
Another way to celebrate junk food is by creating your own versions of your favorite snacks. For example, instead of heading down to KFC, why not try making your own Southern Fried Chicken?
There are lots of great recipes online for Junk Food nowadays. In fact, you will see that there are some weird and wonderful creations, including different and unusual Burger recipes and much more!
You may also want to decide to spend Junk Food Day with your friends. Why not host a Junk Food Party? You can tell your friends that everyone has to bring Carby or Fatty Foods.
There are no Green Leafy Foods allowed! Enjoy the day and indulge together. After all, it’s not like it is something that we all get to do all of the time. So, you may as well make the most of Junk Food Day and indulge in those naughty foods. We won’t tell anyone!
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
