Classics revisited | A completely Christmassy sugar cream

Soft, melting and terribly delicious, cream sugar takes pride of place on the dessert table during family gatherings during the holiday season. By incorporating the aromas of gingerbread cookies, pastry chef Marie-Ève ​​Langlois has created a version perfect for Christmas celebrations.

The little story

Often associated in the collective imagination with grandma’s cake, the sugar and cream recipe seems to be one that Quebec families pass down from generation to generation. However, it is difficult to trace with certainty the origin of this delicacy.

Could it go back to New France? Geneviève Sicotte, who co-edited the work Quebec gastronomy and heritage, questioned. “The idea that we would have a sweet tooth from that moment on, I’m not sure it’s valid. But then, with the British regime, therefore from the end of the 18th century^e century, but especially in the 19th^e century, we see that sugar consumption will increase significantly. […] At that time, there is more sugar and certainly more desserts,” says the professor of French studies at Concordia University, for whom food is her favorite field.

In the archives of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationaux du Québec, the first mention of “cream sugar” found dates back to the 19th century.^e century. In the January 18, 1876 issue of Saint-Hyacinthe Courierthe name of the delicacy appears on the menu of a banquet during which… frozen boar’s head was also served.

” Good news ! The time has arrived when we are going to eat cheap sweets,” rejoiced, a few years later, the Sherbrooke confectioner WR Villeneuve, in the December 26, 1884 issue of the newspaper Eastern Progress. Among the sweets listed in this holiday ad, we notice cream sugar.

At the same time, a similar treat was booming in America: fudge. Could one have influenced the other? It’s possible, believes Geneviève Sicotte, who notes however that we very often find maple sugar in cream sugar recipes, a real local taste.

Marie-Ève ​​Langlois’ version

From yesterday to today, one thing remains however: cooking this delicacy requires a certain know-how, underlines the professor. “It’s technical candy. It’s not easy to do. In the recipes that we see appearing in books in the 20th^e century, we will talk about cooking the sugar to the petit boule stage. You need to know what it is…”

“If you want real sugar cream with real cream, it’s complicated,” confirms chef Marie-Ève ​​Langlois. I’m a pastry chef, and every time it stresses me out. I really need to concentrate. »

Because cooking sugar cream is an art… or rather a science: that of sugar chemistry.

“We play with sugar which crystallizes and we also play with degrees, two complex elements,” explains the experienced pastry chef who has been offering caramels and other sweets since 2016 with her brand La cuisine par Marie-Ève ​​Langlois.

Her advice for making dessert a success? Follow the recipe “to the letter”.

The woman who opened the boutique L’Atelier Sucre par Marie-Ève ​​Langlois last summer, in Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil near Highway 20, reinvented sugar cream, taking inspiration from a another holiday dessert: the gingerbread man.

To add a little texture, she added roasted pecans. “It gives a little crunch. »

How would she describe the result? “It tastes like Christmas,” sums up the one who promises to offer it in store for the holiday season, alongside logs, cakes and other sweet delights.

Cream sugar, gingerbread and pecans

Preparation : 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Rest: between 3:45 a.m. and 4:45 a.m.
Yield: 16 to 20 pieces¹

Ingredients for cream sugar

• 1 2/3 cup 35% whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 C. teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1 C. tablespoon of “gingerbread” spice mix
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Ingredients for the “gingerbread” spice mix ²

• 5 tbsp. tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1 C. tablespoon of powdered ginger
• 3/4 tsp. teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp. teaspoon cloves
• 3/4 tsp. star anise

Preparation

1. Butter an 8-inch square pan. Line the mold with parchment paper. The butter will help the paper adhere.
2. In a saucepan, place the cream, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and spices. Mix then bring to the boil.
3. Place a candy thermometer on the edge of the pan. Simmer over medium heat without stirring until the thermometer reaches 115°C (239°F).
4. Remove from heat and quickly pour the hot mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl. Do not stir the mixture. Leave to cool for 45 minutes.
5. Whip the mixture for 2 minutes on high speed with the stand mixer or with a hand mixer. The preparation will lose its glossy appearance.
6. Quickly pour the mixture into the mold previously lined with parchment paper.
7. Add the chopped roasted pecans to the creamed sugar. Use plastic wrap in contact with the mixture to prevent the mixture from drying out, then press a little to make the pecans stick.
8. Let cool for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature (or 2 hours in the refrigerator) before cutting.

Store in an airtight container. Cream sugar will keep for 3 to 4 days at room temperature, 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.

1. It is possible to double the recipe, but you will have to wait 1 hour before whipping the mixture rather than 45 minutes.

2. The spice blend can give a festive touch to many other recipes: biscuits, coffee, caramel, cakes and soups.