Crème au Beurre
French buttercream, built on a yolk and hot syrup base
French buttercream: egg yolks whipped with hot sugar syrup, then butter beaten in. Richer and yellower than the meringue-based kinds, and the classical filling for a génoise or a bûche de Noël.
The syrup cooks the yolks as it goes in, so there is no separate cooking step and nothing raw at the end.
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Whip the yolks in a stand mixer on medium-high until pale and thick, about 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, boil the sugar and water to 244°F, the firm-ball stage, without stirring.
- With the mixer running, pour the hot syrup down the inside of the bowl in a thin steady stream, avoiding the whisk.
- Whip until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch and the mixture is thick and pale, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not add butter to a warm base — it will melt and never come back.
- Switch to the paddle. Add the butter a cube at a time, beating until each disappears.
- It may look curdled partway through. Keep beating; it comes together.
- Beat in the vanilla and salt.
Notes
- Curdled means too cold: warm the outside of the bowl with a cloth. Soupy means too warm: chill 15 minutes and re-beat.
- Keeps a week refrigerated and a month frozen. Bring fully to room temperature and re-beat before using.