Creme
Chantilly
WHO COOKED
THAT UP?
J.J.
Schnebel wonders...
Perhaps you don't call
flavored sweetened whipped cream by its proper name, but the lovely and
delicious topping is called "Creme Chantilly," or just "Chantilly" by the
world's great chefs.
"Why Chantilly?,"
you might ask, especially if you know that Chantilly is an ancient
castle, or chateau in France. In the world of gastronomy the
castle is famous for a tragic event which occurred there on April 24, 1671.
The story is told
in a recent film entitled "Vatel,"
starring Gerard Depardieu 
and
Uma Thurman. Depardieu plays the part of Karl Fritz Vatel, the man
in charge of all the arrangements for a three-day party for 2000 guests
in honor of King Louis XIV. The entertainment was spectacular, the
banquets luxurious and the palace intrigue menacing. Despite
his many triumphs during the occasion, Vatel committed suicide, his state
of mind generally thought to have been caused by the humiliating delay
of a fish course, and his name is thereby associated with an exaggerated
sense of shame in not being able to fulfill one's duties to perfection.
However, the film
sheds some light on other possibilities for the tragedy. It also
portrays -- very swiftly -- a moment when Vatel, the maitre d'hotel or
man in charge, must improvise a topping for a dessert. Aha!
As a former farm boy, he knows that heavy cream can double in volume when
whipped and invents "Creme Chantilly!"
Probably not.
Many experts believe whipped cream had been known long before this.
Well, then, did the name Chantilly come about when Vatel made it at that
castle? Again, probably not. More than likely the name
came into use a hundred years later, in the 18th century, when it
became fashionable to give names to popular recipes.
Nevertheless, crediting
Vatel with the invention honors a man to whom honor was perhaps everything,
and who is often regarded as the father of French gastronomy. Here
then is the traditional way of preparing
Creme Chantilly
First, be sure you
have cream marked "heavy" (preferably) or "whipping," with a butterfat
content of 36 or 30 per cent. Second, you will want to keep it as
cold as possible during whipping so that it does not become butter. To
achieve that end, you can chill the metal bowl and beaters as well as the
cream before you begin. Some cooks prepare a large bowl of ice cubes
to be placed underneath the whipping bowl during preparation, especially
during hot weather, or if they want to prepare the cream for over a half
an hour in advance.
For about 2 cups
of whipped cream you'll need
1/2 pint chilled
heavy cream (1 cup)
1/2 cup confectioners'
sugar placed in a sieve
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
extract (optional)
Using a balloon
whisk in an up and down motion or an electric hand-held mixer set on high
and rotated around the bowl, beat until the cream softly holds its
shape when lifted by whisk or beater. Sift on the powdered (confectioners)
sugar and add the vanilla, carefully folding them in with a rubber spatula.
Too much beating, turning or mixing will give you butter, so do all this
gently and quickly. Use as soon as possible.
If you use a great
deal of whipped cream, you might want to invest in a whipped cream dispenser
which uses gas chargers and keeps it fresh for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
For an illustration
of the balloon whisk method (as well as the whipped cream dispenser) you
can consult the following web site (in French)
Chef
Simon's Illustrated Guide to Preparing Creme Chantilly
Click
here for a virtual visit to the chateau of Chantilly, where the kitchens
of Vatel have been converted into a restaurant called La
Capitainerie.
The background
wallpaper on this page is courtesy of this Chateau de Chantilly website.
Who
Cooked That Up? is copyrighted 2003 by J.J. Schnebel
all rights reserved
for your pleasure and enlightenment
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