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Prussian Cream
1034. Whisk well the whites of four eggs and add them to four ounces of sugar (some lumps of which have been rubbed on the peel of a lemon), and one pint of cream; whisk again for three minutes, and set it on a stove, whisking gently till it boils. Then pour it into a dish and serve it cold.
A whisked boiled cream from the mid-Victorian repertoire, closer to a light lemon foam than to a set custard. Everything hinges on constant whisking as it comes to the boil.
- The hinge: whisk without stoppingThe hinge: keep whisking -- Egg white and cream taken to a boil can easily curdle if the whisking stops. Keep the whisk moving over medium heat, and take the pan off the heat as the mixture rises and froths up.
- "Set it on a stove"In 1859 this means direct heat on the range top, not an oven. A wide, heavy saucepan gives you the most control; a bowl over simmering water is slower but far more forgiving if you are nervous of splitting it.
- Sugar rubbed on lemon peelRubbing lump sugar against the rind was a common way to capture the zest oils. Substitute the finely grated zest of one lemon, or rub sugar cubes over the fruit as written and crush them before use.
- MeasuresFour ounces of sugar is a generous half cup of granulated (about 115 g). An imperial pint of cream is 20 imperial fl oz, or about 2 1/2 US cups; use heavy or whipping cream, as Victorian cream was rich and unhomogenised.
- EggsFour egg whites come to roughly 1/2 cup by volume. The recipe has them whisked well before being added to the sugar and cream.
- Serving and setThis does not gel. Poured out warm and chilled several hours, it settles into a soft, spoonable cream with a foamy top layer. Serves four to six in small glasses or cups, and is best eaten the day it is made.