July 29th is National Chicken Wing Day. America loves its chicken wings, but there is a debate over what types are best: bone-in vs. boneless and drumettes vs. the wingettes/flats*.

RTA Outdoor Livingfull survey).

The highlights for National Chicken Wing Day:

 
Now how about some chicken wings? Here’s something a bit different from Smithfield Culinary: Greek-style wings (photo #1).

This recipe is easier than it looks because you purchase pre-smoked, pre-cooked chicken wings (photos #2 and #3, for example).

You could also purchase the tzatziki, but the homemade version below is far superior.

Just note that you have to drain the yogurt for the tzatziki sauce overnight. Opa*!

> Check out 14 more chicken wing recipes below.

> The history of chicken.
 
 
RECIPE: SMOKIN’ GREEK CHICKEN WINGS

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings
 
For The Greek Dry Rub Spice Mix

 
For The Tzatziki Sauce

 
For The Chicken Wings

 
For The Garnish

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the spice mix. Stir all of the ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.

2. MAKE the tzatziki sauce, mix all ingredients thoroughly until incorporated. Set aside (or make in advance and chill in the fridge).

3. MAKE the wings. If frozen, thaw completely. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

4. COAT the wings in the mix of olive oil, lemon juice, zest, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then coat with the Greek dry spice rub.

5. PLACE the wings in a baking dish and heat in the oven until they are golden brown and heated through (see package instructions). Meanwhile:

6. REMOVE the wings from the oven briefly and lightly toss them with 1 cup of tzatziki sauce. Return to the oven and bake until edges become slightly charred.

7. TO SERVE: Top with the herbs and feta. Serve with the remaining tzatziki on the side.

 
MORE CHICKEN WING RECIPES

 
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*Drumettes are the portion of the wing that’s attached to the main part of the chicken. It’s shaped like the larger chicken drumstick, hence the name. There’s one main piece of bone in the middle, but there are some joints and cartilage on both ends. The wingette or flat is the middle part of the wing. The shape is flat with two thin bones that run parallel to each other down the length of the flat. It has tender dark meat and is completely covered with skin. Here’s a larger discussion of these.

†In Greek culture, this is the expression that sometimes accompanied the traditional act of plate smashing. However, it’s also used to express enthusiasm in general: No dishware need be sacrificed. Here’s more on the Greek custom of smashing plates.

[1] Smokin’ Greek chicken wings—the wings are purchased already smoked. The recipe is below (photo © Smithfield Culinary).

[2] Wegman’s smoked chicken wings are ready to heat and eat (photo © Instacart).

[3] Walmart and other stores also sell cooked chicken wings. Here, Walmart’s pecan-smoked chicken wings (photo © Walmart).

Tzatziki[/caption]
[4] Tzatziki, a refreshing cucumber-yogurt dip and sauce (photo © Cava Grill).

[5] Fresh dill (photo Wuestenigel | CC-BY-2.0 License).

[6] Fresh mint (photo © Good Eggs).

[7] Beautiful Essex sheep’s milk feta cheese from De Laurenti, from sheep that graze on the Isle of Lesbos (photo © DeLaurenti).

[1] This Indian-accented lasagna is gluten-free. The recipe is below (photo © Urban Accents).

[2] Eggplant Parmigiana Lasagna combines two favorites. Here’s the recipe (photo © DeLallo).

[3] Something different: lasagna soup! Here’s the recipe (photo © Wisconsin Dairy).

[4] Ravioli lasagna. Here’s the recipe (photo © Oxmoor House [permanently closed]).

[5] Who needs a lasagna pan? This recipe is made in a Dutch Oven (photo © Williams Sonoma).

A hot summer day doesn’t seem like prime time for lasagna, but July 29th is, in fact, National Lasagna Day, and the next celebration isn’t until October, National Pasta Month.

The dish dates back to Roman times, although Roman lasagna was not the classic style we know today, with layered noodles, cheese, and tomato sauce.

That’s because the Romans did not have tomatoes, which originated in Peru (as cherry tomatoes) and were brought to Europe by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century. They were enjoyed as houseplants until the 18th century!

> The history of lasagna.

Our featured recipe today is an Indian-style lasagna that’s gluten-free and noodle-free, giving this popular comfort food gets a new twist.

We have 17 more lasagna recipes for you below, including more gluten-free options.
 
 
RECIPE: INDIAN-STYLE LASAGNA, GLUTEN FREE

Lasagna is an Italian dish made from noodles, but the recipe has been reinvented many times over with gluten-free options. This recipe uses thin layers of mashed potatoes instead of noodles.

To accent the Indian style, the recipe switches out the Italian bolognese sauce—ground beef and oregano for a spicy ground lamb sauce.

The recipe, from Urban Accents, uses their Punjab Red Tandoori Spice Blend.

This medium-heat Indian seasoning blend combines paprika, turmeric, ginger, and some 16 other spices and herbs. It adds “just the right amount of Indian-style heat” to chicken, lamb, marinades, rice, seafood, turkey, and vegetable dishes.

Prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 90 minutes, total time 110 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 10 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.

2. MAKE the filling. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat and sauté the onion until translucent.

3. ADD the lamb, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the lamb is browned and cooked through. Stir in the parsley and set aside to cool.

4. MAKE the sauce. In a medium saucepan, over low heat, combine the tomato sauce and Punjab Red Tandoori spice. Simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and add 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt, the lemon juice, and lemon zest.

5. ASSEMBLE. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Place a layer of potatoes on top of the sauce, using half of the potatoes. Spread half of the meat mixture; then half of the remaining sauce.

6. REPEAT, layering the potatoes, meat mixture, and sauce. Spread the cheese on top; cover and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes to brown the top. Allow to rest  
 
17 MORE LASAGNA RECIPES

 
 
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*There are many different Indian spice blends. You can substitute curry powder or garam masala, both of which are composed of numerous spices. You can look for recipes online, or simply pull ground spices from your pantry: black pepper or cayenne, coriander, cumin, dry mustard, fenugreek, garam masala, garlic, ginger, mint, paprika, salt, tumeric, etc. Now you see how the Urban Accents Punjab Red Tandoori Spice is a blend of 19 different spices!

This Scattered California Roll comes under the category of “Why didn’t we think of this?” But we’re thankful that Grace Parisi came up with the idea (there’s more about Grace below).

This recipe is in the chirashi sushi category. The name means “scattered sushi” in Japanese, and it’s the easiest sushi to make because, rather than rolling everything nice and tidy in a sheet of seaweed (it takes both practice and seaweed), the ingredients are scattered atop a bowl of rice.

Grace combined the idea with grain bowls, and you can substitute your grain of choice for the rice.

Wine pairing: The flavors of toasted sesame seeds, seasoned sushi rice, and sweet crab pair well with a crisp, aromatic Austrian Riesling.

> Check out the different types of sushi and sashimi in our Sushi Glossary.

> The history of sushi.

> The history of the California Roll is below.

> The original California Roll history.
 
 
RECIPE: CHIRASHI SUSHI “CALIFORNIA ROLL” a.k.a. SCATTERED CALIFORNIA ROLL

This recipe is made with fresh Dungeness crab meat, but if you can’t get it, substitute one whole bairdi crab cluster (1 body, 4 legs, 1 claw), a type of snow crab.

Other options: canned lump crab meat or crab stick (the different types of crab meat).

Prep time is 30 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the rice. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the rice vinegar with the sugar and ½ teaspoon salt, stirring until dissolved. Set aside.

2. COMBINE the rice with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat, Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let the pot sit off the heat, covered, for 10 minutes.

3. SPREAD the rice in a large shallow bowl or on a baking sheet and toss with the reserved sweetened vinegar. Refrigerate briefly until cool. Meanwhile…

4. STEAM the crab. Fill a large skillet with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the crab, cover, and steam for 2 to 3 minutes, until just heated through. Remove the meat and break it into 1-inch pieces. You can save shells for stock (stick them in the freezer for future use).

5. PREPARE the dressing. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar with the soy sauce, oil, ginger, and wasabi paste. Season with salt.

6. ASSEMBLE AND SERVE. Add the radishes, scallions, and cucumbers to the rice, pour the dressing over them, and toss gently to combine. Fold in the crab and spoon the mixture into bowls. Garnish with the avocado, sesame seeds, and shredded nori just before serving.

You can wrap any leftover crab, rice, and avocado in green leaf or butter lettuce leaves for a light lunch or snack.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF THE CALIFORNIA ROLL

The history of the California roll is recent, brief, and contested. A North American invention, there are two different sources for the original California roll.

One says that it was first made in the 1960s by Ichiro Mashita, a sushi chef who worked at Tokyo Kaikan in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo. He started to use creamy avocado as a replacement for toro, the creamiest cut of tuna, which wasn’t always available. He combined it in a roll with cucumber and fish cake (the latter two traditional sushi bar ingredients) into a maki (roll) sushi.

He subsequently substituted real crab for the fish cake, and did something about the fact that some of his American customers were still picking off the unfamiliar nori from the outside of his maki sushi. He decided to make the roll with the rice on the outside to hide the seaweed.

He is thus credited with inventing the uramaki, a.k.a. reverse roll or inside-out roll. The technique also created a fatter roll (“more for the money?”) [source].

Also in Los Angeles, Ken Seusa of Kin Jo restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard was experimenting with Western ingredients. And he also began making uramaki with avocado, cucumber and crab. He was given the credit for its invention by Gourmet magazine in 1980, but Mashita-san became viewed as the creation of the precursor.

We don’t know who made the cost-saving substitution of crab stick/imitation crab/sea leg/surimi‡ (photo #8) for real crab leg.

And now, the name California roll.

Hidekazu Tojo, a chef and sushi chef from Osaka, Japan, moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1971. Japanese food had not yet taken off; the city had just four Japanese restaurants at the time.

Since Canadians (as well as Americans) were not used to consuming raw fish, he tweaked a roll that could be enjoyed by anyone. This included cooked crab (now often substituted by the more affordable crab stick) instead of raw fish.

The name “California” was bestowed by visitors from Los Angeles, to honor their home state, the continent’s avocado capital.

Some sources state that Tojo named it in their honor.
 
The roll was an instant hit and sushi overall became sushi part of the California’s 1970s health food trend.

Both the California roll and the California roll temaki (hand roll), where the ingredients are wrapped in a cone of nori (dried seaweed), became popular among both fans and non-consumers of raw fish.
 
 
Variations

The wildly-popular roll continues to evolve. Variations include spicy California roll, mango California roll, and a garnish of sesame and/or roe on the outside (photos #6 and #7).

Not to mention crunchy California roll, deep fried with eel sauce, and crispy California roll that contains fried tempura flakes.

It is also made with crab salad (authentic or imitation).

Tojo is also credited with the invention of the B.C. (for British Columbia) roll, an uramaki of cooked salmon in a sweetened barbecue sauce, and cucumber. There are variations of this roll that include barbecued salmon skin with mayonnaise [source].

[1] California roll ingredients turned into chirashi sushi (photo © Sitka Salmon Shares).

[2] Dungeness crab (photo © Good Eggs).

[3] Rice vinegar is available seasoned and unseaoned. For this recipe, you need unseasoned. (photo © Nakano Rice Vinegar).

[4] A bowl of Japanese rice (photo © Mgg Vitchakorn | Unsplash).

[6] A classic California Roll uramaki, or reverse roll, with the rice on the outside, garnished with sesame seeds (photo © Umami Information Center).

[7] Subsequent variations include substituting masago (capelin roe) or tobiko (flying fish roe) for the sesame seeds, or using a combination of both.

[8] Surimi, a.k.a. crab stick, crab leg, sea leg, and imitation crab (photo © Fresh Direct).

Japanese rice, the rice served at every Japanese meal, is a cultivar of Japonica (a.k.a. sinica) rice. It is one of the two major domestic types of Asian rice varieties*.

The plump, short grains have a characteristic sticky, firm texture and are slightly sweet. When cooked, they are sticky enough to easily be picked up with chopsticks. (Here’s more about Japanese rice.)

Sushi rice is made by seasoning this Japanese short-grain rice with a mixture of rice vinegar (a mild form of vinegar), sugar, salt, and often kombu (kelp). These seasonings impart a balance of sweet, salty, and sour taste flavors that pair so well with the raw fish.

The term sushi means vinegared rice: su = vinegar, shi = rice.
 
 
THANKS TO SITKA SALMON SHARES & GRACE PARISI

Sitka Salmon Shares’ Culinary Director Grace Parisi is a cook, writer and cookbook author. Formerly the Senior Test Kitchen Editor at Food & Wine Magazine and Executive Food Director at TimeInc Books, her work has appeared in Cooking Light, Health, O Magazine, Epicurious, Fitness, Today, Serious Eats, Martha Stewart, and many more. She’s the author of more than 6 books, among them The Portlandia Cookbook and Get Saucy, which was nominated for a James Beard award for Best Single Subject Cookbook.
 
 
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*Japonica rice is extensively cultivated and consumed in East Asia, whereas in most other regions of Asia, indica rice is the dominant type of rice. Here’s the difference between the two.

In California, rice production is dominated by short and medium-grain japonica varieties, including cultivars developed for the local climate, such as Calrose.

A cultivar is a type of plant that people have bred for desired traits (selective breeding). Many cultivars of rice are grown worldwide. The two major subspecies (indica and japonica) have more than 40,000 varieties. Here’s a small list of them.

†Pickled ginger recipe: If you can’t find pickled ginger in the Asian products aisle of your supermarket or a local Asian grocer, make your own. Use 1 teaspoon each grated fresh ginger, rice vinegar, and sugar. Allow the flavors to meld for an hour or more.

‡Surimi was created in Japan in the 12th century. Chefs would grind and salt leftover fish as a means of preserving their extra catch. In the 1960s, a Japanese chemist discovered that by adding sugar to the traditional surimi-making process, he could stabilize the product, freeze it, and preserve its shelf life. Here’s more about surimi.

[1] Shiraz wines have a deep red color. Learn more about Australian Shiraz, the first “modern” Shiraz (photo © Best Wines)

[2] Shiraz is a happy pairig with any kind of beef or lamb (phot © LT Bar & Grill).

[3 Penfolds Bin 28 from Australia, one of the world’s great Shiraz wines. Here’s more about it (photo © Dmarge).

[4] Shiraz stands up to garlic, spice, and robust flavors—including pepperoni pizza (photo © Brooke Lark | Unsplash).

[5] Shiraz likes hearty cheeses: Cheddar, blue cheese, aged cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, and strong cheeses washed rind cheeses (photo © Louis Hansel | Unsplash).

[6] Shiraz grapes (photo © Max Delsid | Unsplash).

[7] Yes, please: rack of lamb and a bottle of Shiraz (photo © DeLallo).

[8] Roasting a chicken? Open a bottle of Shiraz (photo © Corto Olive | Facebook).

National Shiraz Day is the 4th Thursday of June. It celebrates a wine that is also known as Syrah. The better-known Syrah has its own holiday, International Syrah Day, on February 16th. So what’s the difference of Shiraz vs. Syrah?

Food holidays are an opportunity for THE NIBBLE to discuss a particular food or wine. This article will explain:

 
 
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Shiraz/Syrah is a dark-skinned red wine grape variety that is grown around the world.

The modern Shiraz grape is identical to Syrah, which originated in southeast France.

Modern Shiraz has no established connection to the city of Shiraz, Persia (modern Iran), where a wine of that name was made for centuries (but can now no longer be made*).

In addition to the wines called Syrah and Shiraz, the grape itself is widely used as a blending grape in the red wines of many countries. Its fruit flavors balance out the lesser fruitiness of other grapes, resulting in a more complete wine.

Neither Syrah nor Shiraz should be confused with Petite Sirah, a different wine that cross-bred Syrah with another grape‡.
 
 
WHY IS SYRAH CALLED SHIRAZ?

In the “why is this so complicated” category, Shiraz wine refers to two different wines. Forget the old, embrace the new.

 
So why did Syrah become Shiraz in Australia? Yes. No one has uncovered the smoking gun, but here’s what we do know.

 
Those who wish to put bets on the mystery of exactly how Syrah became Shiraz should probably look to the “strinization” of Scyras (and wait for the smoking gun).

Ready for more confusion? In different parts of the world, the grape is called Antourenein noir, Balsamina, Candive, Entournerein, Hignin noir, Marsanne noir, Schiras, Sirac, Syra, Syrac, Serine, and Sereine.
 
 
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRENCH SYRAH & AUSTRALIAN SHIRAZ

Any wine (or other agricultural product) will taste different based on its terroir†. Chocolate from beans grown in the Côte d’Ivoire tastes different than chocolate from Venezuela.

After terroir, the next differentiator is style, a reflection of the winemaker’s taste in making the wine.

Let’s start with Syrah from France.

Syrah

The world’s most famous Syrah wines, the classic Northern Rhône reds, are elegant and tannic, with restrained fruit. They tend to be dark, earthy, smokey, and even leathery, reflecting their terroir and cold climate.

Syrah is the main grape of the northern Rhône and produces classic, world-famous wines such as Hermitage, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie.

In the southern Rhône, Syrah is used as a blending grape in such wines as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Côtes du Rhône (Grenache usually makes up the bulk of the blend).

The finest Rhone wines will age for decades. Some winemakers make less-extracted styles that can be enjoyed young for their lively red and blueberry characters and smooth tannin structure.

Syrah wines made in the French style, from grapes grown in other cooler climates, tend to use the Syrah names.
 
 
Shiraz

Beyond Australia, Shiraz has become a preferred name for the wines produced by New World winemakers, who fashioned their wines in the Australian style. It’s a stylistic choice—plus the qualities provided by their terroir—to vinify their wines in a separate way from French Syrah.

(It may be confusing to the consumer, but if you’ve ever wondered how Shiraz is different from Syrah, here you have it!.)

In warmer climates, Syrah yields riper berries that create rich, lush, intense, fruit-forward wines (often notes of blackberries), and generally bolder wines. These wines are higher in alcohol and less tannic than French Syrah. Accents are peppery rather than smokey [source].

While the best Rhone Syrahs are vinified for aging, Shiraz wines are more approachable when young.
 
 
SYRAH FOOD & WINE PAIRINGS

Shiraz wines tend to be full-bodied with big, bold flavors, so they pair easily with big- and bold-flavored food.

 
As with most red wines, avoid pairing Shiraz with lighter foods like seafood and white fish.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF SHIRAZ

Syrah has a long documented history in the Rhône region of southeastern France, but for a long time, its origins were unknown. Then came the advent of DNA research.

In 1998, a study conducted in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at University of California, Davis used DNA typing and extensive grape reference material from the viticultural research station in Montpellier, France.

The conclusion: Syrah was the offspring of the grape varieties Dureza (father) and Mondeuse Blanche (mother) [source]. Both parents come from a small area in southeastern France, close to northern Rhône River. Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that Syrah originated in the region of the northern Rhône (southwestern France).

And thence to Australia. It was long thought that Shiraz arrived in Australia in 1832 as French Syrah cuttings that were part of the original James Busby collection.

Busby’s cuttings were planted in the Sydney Botanical Gardens, then the Hunter Valley, before making it to South Australia in the middle of the 19th century.

However, Shiraz may have arrived a bit earlier, as part of the Macarthur collection which arrived in Sydney aboard the Lord Eldon in 1817 [source].

The first commercial Shiraz vineyard was believed to have been planted by George Wyndham, who started planting his vineyard at his property Dalwood in 1831. Shiraz may have been planted in that vineyard, which predated the Busby vines (any newly planted wine vines need a few seasons to propagate before they can make acceptable wines).

As a result of any and all of these situations, Australia now has some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world [ibid].

*In modern Iran, Shiraz wine cannot be produced legally due to the prohibition of alcohol in Islam. Before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, there were up to 300 wineries in Iran; now there are none [source].

†Terroir, pronounced tur-WAH, is a French agricultural term referring to the unique set of environmental factors in a specific habitat that affects a crop’s qualities. These include climate, elevation, proximity to a body of water, slant of the land, soil type, and amount of sun. These environmental characteristics give the wines produced from these grapes a unique character.

‡Syrah is a cross between the Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche grapes of southwestern France. Petite Sirah is a cross between Syrah and Peloursin, a rare French variety from the Rhone-Alpes region, dating from 1880. It may have gotten its name because the berries are small, i.e., petite.
 
 

July 27th is National Crème Brûlée Day, celebrating a French dessert that has remained on menus across the U.S. long after Coupe aux Marrons, Île Flottante, Mont Blanc, and other classic French desserts have disappeared from menus in the U.S.

Crème brûlée first came to America with Thomas Jefferson’s return from France in 1789 [source]. But it didn’t take hold (more about that below).

Crème brûlée is a type of custard made of all heavy cream (no milk), egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla. It’s topped with a brittle layer of caramelized sugar (brûlée is French for burnt, crème brûlée means “burnt custard”).

In addition to the delicious flavor, some fun is to be had by cracking the hard sugar with one’s fork.

Who created such a delectable dessert?
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CRÈME BRÛLÉE

Crème brûlée recipes seem to have emerged in the 16th century, in the English countryside (some sources say the 15th century). During the spring calving season, the milk was especially rich, and farm women would prepare a very thick custard to use up the milk and take advantage of its richness.

Some say the burnt sugar was added later, at Trinity College, Cambridge University, in 1879. A student is credited with the idea of branding the school crest into a topping of sugar, burnt with a hot iron rod fashioned with the crest.

The recipe was called Cambridge Cream or Trinity Cream and has been a popular item on the school’s menu ever since [ibid].

But let’s step across the Channel to France, 200 years earlier.

The earliest known printed recipe anywhere for crème brûlée appeared in the 1691 French cookbook, Le cuisinier royal et bourgeois by Chef François Massialot (1660-1733—click on the first link to read the book for free).

In Massialot’s recipe, the sugar topping was melted and burnt with a red-hot fire shovel*, then placed on top of the custard [source].

By the 18th century, kitchen tools included a salamander. A round, flat, thick plate attached to a long handle, it was heated over the fire and then used to brown foods (photo #7).

(The first blowtorch, from which the kitchen torch is adapted, wasn’t invented until 1882. Here’s an early adapted version used by Julia Child around 1963.)

Massialot’s crème brûlée recipe added a disc of caramelized sugar onto the custard, instead of burning the sugar directly on the dessert as was done later.

A bit more about this great chef:

An innovation in Massialot’s cookbook was the alphabetization of recipes, a step toward the first culinary dictionary.

The recipe for meringues also made its first appearance published by Massialot [source].
 
 
CRÈME BRÛLÉE COMES TO AMERICA

As mentioned earlier, Thomas Jefferson brought the recipe back from France in 1789, and had his cook make it. But it didn’t become part of the American dessert repertoire.

Over the centuries, as crème brûlée became better known internationally, recipes began to appear in American magazines and cookbooks in the 1950s and 1960s.

But its breakout came in the 1980s, thanks to Le Cirque restaurant, one of the top French restaurants in New York City. It got lots of press and became one of the “it” desserts [source].

Home cooks as well as restaurants could burn the sugar under the broiler. There was also the salamander, although few home cooks would want to use one (a very hot metal rod!).

Then came the butane torch, or kitchen torch (photo #5). Suddenly, crème brûlée was relatively easy. Today, you can find one for less than $20 (although we’d go for a brand name, at possibly twice that).

And they’re not just for crème brûlée. Here are 15 more uses for a kitchen torch.

As crème brûlée evolved, it became flavored: butterscotch, chocolate, cocktail-flavored (Irish Coffee, Margarita, Piña Colada, White Russian, etc.), coffee, Earl Grey, eggnog, fresh and dried fruit of every description, green tea/matcha, lavender, mocha, Nutella, pie-flavored (Key lime, pumpkin), salted caramel, s’mores, snickderdoodle…need we go on?

And then, of course, the crème brûlée flavor was ported to everything else: brownies, cakes/cheesecakes, chocolates, coffee, coffee creamer, cookies and cupcakes, doughnuts, French toast, fudge, ice cream, even McCormick Flavor Inspirations Crème Brûlée Seasoning to sprinkle on coffee drinks and “your favorite breakfasts, desserts, and dips.” It’s a limited edition: Get it while you can.
 
 
WHAT ABOUT CREMA CATALANA?

Crema catalana (“Catalan cream”) is the name used for the dish in most of Spain (photo #7), but strangely, it is called crema cremada (“burnt cream”) in its home province of Catalonia.

The dish is similar to crème brûlée. Similar, but not identical.

While both are custards made from egg yolks and sugar, crème brûlée is made with cream, while crema catalana is made with milk.

The basic crème brûlée recipe is flavored with vanilla, while crema catalana is often flavored with lemon zest or cinnamon, as well as vanilla.

Both have a burnt sugar topping.

In the annals of time, crema catalana is older.

The first known recipe appears in the medieval Catalan cookbook Llibre de Sent Soví, in the mid-14th century.

That’s three centuries before Massialot’s crème brûlée recipe.

As with crème brûlée, the sugar was sprinkled over the cooked custard and subsequently burnt with a hot iron rod.
 
 
MORE TO KNOW

> The different types of French crèmes.

> The different types of custard.

> Types of custard: creme brûlée, creme caramel, pot de crème.

> The history of custard.

> The difference between custard and pudding.
 
 
CRÈME BRÛLÉE & OTHER BRÛLÉE RECIPES

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*The definition of a fire shovel from the 1770’s is, “an instrument to throw coals on a fire with.” They were initially made of iron [source].

[1] Classic creme brulee (photo © Mad Max Chef | Unsplash).

[2] You can get creative with creme brulee. Here, poached peaches and cherries are embedded into the top before the sugar is added and torched (photo © Parmigiano Reggiano | Facebook).

[3] Raspberry chili crème brûlée. The recipe is in (photo © Melissa’s Produce).

[4] Beaucoup des garnitures (that means lots of garnishes): blackberries, grapes, mint leaf, strawberries, and sesame crunch candy (photo © shameel Mukkath | Pexels).

[5] Torching crème brûlée with a home-size butane torch (photo © Bonjour).

[6] Torching a number of ramekins in a restaurant kitchen. Note that the butane torch is much larger (photo © Tania Mousinho | Unsplash).

[7] Old school: before there was a broiler or a butane kitchen torch, there was a low-tech salamander, shown here with crema catalana (photo © Grey Salt Restaurant | Tampa).