Cream
There are so many things called cream that it is difficult to know what we are talking about when the name is mentioned. Almost anything with the consistence, even without the colour, of cream, is called by its name; and nobody seems to remember the rightful name of cullis. Putting genuine cream, however, out of account, the chief thing known in the French kitchen by that name is what in England is known as a custard. The most common name in France for a custard is English cream ; and it was so called almost universally until Carême put a stop to it. He was indignant that England should get the credit of the custard ; and now it is known by his followers simply as Crème au bain-marie. Carême, however, who refused petulantly to give the name of Crème Anglaise to the custard, put a little bit of isinglass into it and then insisted that it should be called Crème Française! A bit of stiffening makes all the difference between French and English. There are dozens of these creams all with a separate name according to the flavour-vanilla, coffee, orange, maraschino, apricot; and if whipt cream should be added, that makes another long series, each with a separate name. The receipt for Custards will be found in alphabetical order.
CRÉCY-is the name which the French have given to their best carrot soup, because the most famous of their Cress carrots are grown there; and the English accept the name because they like to remember the great battle of the 26th August, 1346, when they watered the carrots of Crécy with the best French blood. The French were to the English in the battle as five to one; and it was on this occasion that the Black Prince, a boy of sixteen, won his spurs. To commemorate the event he took the crest of the slain Bohemian king-three ostrich feathers with the motto of Ich Dien-which has ever since been the crest and the motto of the Princes of Wales. It follows that on the 26th of August the Prince of Wales and all his friends invariably eat two platefuls of Crécy.
Take a plentiful Mirepoix, and after it has passed, put a quantity of carrots cut slanting on the top of it. Moisten it with broth, and keep it moist and simmering till the carrots are done. The length of time will depend on the size to which the carrots have been cut. Then take all, pound it in a mortar, and pass it through a tammy or fine sieve. It ought to be at this stage a thick purée. Thin it down with broth; sugar it-the proportion is generally a tablespoonful of sugar to two gallons; put it on the fire to heat; finish it with some fresh butter; and in serving it add either crusts or rice.
CRÊPE. The French for pancake, at root the same as crape and crisp. In the English of Chaucer's time a pancake was called a crisp or a cresp.
CRÊPINETTE.--A flat sausage enveloped in pig's caul. Buy it ready made at Dumas', 55, Prince's Street, Leicester Square.