穿越古今的奶油泡芙

Jeanne+Grunert

奶油泡芙，一種可以讓你一口吞下的美味，從中世紀到現代，從宮廷到民間，它穿越而來，帶著哪些故事呢？

The Mystery of the History of Cream Puffs

Many cooks and pastry chefs passed recipes along by word of mouth. Recipes might be called one thing in France and another in England， one thing in the queen&apos；s kitchen and another in the mayor&apos；s. This makes it difficult to trace the history of cream puffs and mixes myth with fact.

One myth surrounding the history of cream puffs is that they were invented by Catherine de Medici&apos；s cook. Catherine de Medici， daughter of the famous Renaissance Italian family of Medicis， was the queen of France. Legends surrounding the history of the cream puff credit Catherine&apos；s cook at the royal court of France with inventing this tasty dessert. Because Catherine was a patroness1） of the arts， many assume that her high taste in art ran to high art in the kitchen.

Unfortunately， this myth is probably just that—a myth. While Catherine most certainly enjoyed delicate pastries， her cook did not invent puff pastries nor did he invent the cream puff. The ancestor of the cream puff can be traced back to the Middle Ages.

Cheese Pastries

Long before Catherine de Medici&apos；s cook set foot on French soil， cooks during the 13th century in southern Germany and France had created puff pastries filled with rich cheese mixtures. Pastry dough was cooked in a hot oven until it puffed， then sliced open and cheese inserted. The warm pastry melted the cheese center. Herbs were often added for additional flavoring.

French Pastry

During the same time Catherine was queen in Renaissance France， pastry chefs throughout France and England had begun to experiment with dough mixtures of flour， water， fat and egg. The mixture goes by the name choux pastry2）. It&apos；s a simple mixture with delightful results： when it puffs， it creates an airy hole in the center which can be filled with sweet or savory filling.

Recipes for cream buns3） called pate feuillettée in France and butter pasted puffs in England circulated from cook to cook by at least the early 1500&apos；s. These buns used the same basic dough of pastry flour， water， egg and fat. They were baked into cakes about three or four inches long. After baking in the oven， they were removed and basted4） with a mixture of rosewater and sugar or lemon and stuck together to form a layered pastry. The entire pastry was then coated in another layer of sugar and lemon or rosewater flavoring. While not exactly resembling today&apos；s puffed and creamy delight， these desserts were much admired and sought after by the nobles and wealthy people of the day. They were an important step on the road to today&apos；s cream puff.

Mixture of Terms and Recipes

The mystery of the true history of puffs deepens thanks to the many terms used to describe puffed pastry. While the basic four-ingredient recipe remains the same， how the ingredients are prepared and baked led to many names—choux， puff， profiterole5） and buns. By the 17th century， the pastry recipe was commonly referred to as a choux recipe， because the buns it made resembled cabbages6）. The French word for cabbage is choux. 奶油泡芙的神秘歷史

在過去，許多廚師和糕點師都以口耳相傳的方式傳承制作配方。同一個制作配方可能在法國是這個名字，在英國卻是另一個名字；在女王的廚房里叫這個，在市長的廚房里卻叫那個。這就導致了追溯奶油泡芙的歷史并不容易，也讓事實與謠傳混雜在了一起。

有關奶油泡芙的歷史中有一種說法認為，它是由凱瑟琳·德·梅第奇的廚師發明的。凱瑟琳·德·梅第奇是文藝復興時期意大利著名的梅第奇家族的千金，也是法國的王后。有關奶油泡芙歷史的一些傳說認為是凱瑟琳在法國宮廷的御用廚師發明了這種美味的甜點。由于凱瑟琳資助過很多種藝術活動，所以許多人想當然地認為她既然藝術品位高雅，內廚的手藝也會相當精湛。

遺憾的是，這個說法可能只是個虛構的故事而已。雖然凱瑟琳很可能享用過美味的油酥糕點，但她的廚師既沒有發明千層酥皮，也沒有發明奶油泡芙。奶油泡芙的前身可以追溯到中世紀。

奶酪酥皮

早在凱瑟琳·德·梅第奇的廚師來到法國之前，德國南部和法國的廚師在13世紀就發明了里面填滿濃郁奶酪混合物的千層酥皮。廚師將油酥面團放入高溫烤箱里烘烤直至其膨脹，然后把它切開塞入奶酪。溫熱的油酥糕點融化了塞入其中的奶酪。各類香草也經常添加其中以獲得不同的口味。

法式甜餡餅

就在凱瑟琳在文藝復興時期的法國當王后的期間，法國和英格蘭各地的糕點師也已經開始用由面粉、水、油脂和雞蛋混合而成的面團做起了實驗。這種混合物被稱為“choux pastry”。它是一種簡單的混合物，卻能產生喜人的效果：它膨脹后，中間會產生一個氣洞，可以塞入香甜味美的內餡。

奶油小面包在法國被稱作千層酥派，在英格蘭則被稱為黃油千層酥皮，其制作配方至少在16世紀初期就已經開始在廚師之間口耳相傳了。制作這類小面包都需要使用由糕點粉、水、雞蛋和油脂混合而成的基礎面團。這種面團會被做成長約3～4英寸的餅胚，經烤箱烘烤之后，這些餅胚被取出來，在表面涂上一層玫瑰水和糖或檸檬汁的混合液，然后黏合到一起，形成多層的油酥糕點。那么，這整塊糕點會被裹上一層含有糖和檸檬汁或玫瑰水的調味汁。盡管這種甜點和現如今蓬松、奶油般絲滑的泡芙不盡相同，但在當時它們卻備受貴族和富人們的喜愛和追捧。這是奶油泡芙發展至今所歷經的重要一步。

混雜的術語和制作配方

過去用來描述千層酥皮的術語眾多，得益于此，泡芙的真實歷史變得更加神秘。泡芙的基礎配方包含四種原料，盡管這種配方現在還是如此，但原料準備和烘焙方式上的差異卻使得泡芙擁有了各式各樣的名字——泡芙酥皮、泡芙、酥皮小圓餅以及小圓面包。到17世紀，酥皮糕點的制作配方通常指的是制作泡芙酥皮的配方，因為做出來的小圓面包很像卷心菜。而在法語中，“泡芙酥皮”一詞就是卷心菜的意思。

Profiteroles or Cream Puffs

By the 19th century， the various types of puff pastries had developed their own following. Now each name took on distinctive meaning and characteristics. The dessert known and loved as the cream puff became known in pastry circles as the profiterole. There was still some leeway7） in the creation of the dessert. What you ordered in one French restaurant called a profiterole might taste very different than a similarly named dessert in England.

The Art of the Cream Puff

By the mid-19th century in both France and England， the cream puff had become known as the profiterole. Cream puffs were often created in elaborate shapes by skilled pastry chefs. Elegant Victorian diners could find them shaped like swans or pyramids8） of tiny， fragile chocolate or vanilla-filled puffs to nibble9） on with the dessert wine， tea or coffee. In the United States， the first recorded mention of the cream puff on a restaurant menu dates to 1851 at the Revere House Restaurant in Boston.

Cream Puffs Today

The humble cream puff had come a long way from the kitchens of the 13th century as a cheese-filled pastry to the darling of the Victorian dining room. What was once the purview10） of royalty now became a bakery aisle staple11）. You can even buy frozen cream puffs at most supermarkets. There&apos；s even a chain of cream puff bakeries called Beard Papa&apos；s， with 300 stores worldwide. But nothing beats the taste of a home baked， fresh from the oven puff pastry filled with sweet cream. Bite into one and imagine you&apos；re back at the French royal court， or sitting among the elegant diners at the Revere House Restaurant. Although the origins remain a mystery， the taste answers all questions： it&apos；s simply divine.

酥皮小圓餅或奶油泡芙

到19世紀，各種各樣的千層酥皮都有了各自的喜愛者。此時的每個名字都還有了獨特的意義和特點。為人熟知且喜愛的奶油泡芙在油酥糕點的圈子里被稱為酥皮小圓餅。但是這道甜點在制作上還存在著一些差距。你在法國餐廳里點的酥皮小圓餅可能和英格蘭餐廳里一道名字類似的甜點在味道上完全不同。

奶油泡芙的藝術

到19世紀中期，奶油泡芙在法國和英格蘭都被稱為酥皮小圓餅。技藝精湛的面點師經常會將泡芙制作成精巧的形狀。維多利亞時期優雅的食客們會發現它們看上去就像是微型的天鵝或者金字塔，里面填滿了精致的巧克力或香草味的餡料，可以搭配甜點酒、茶或者咖啡來細細品嘗。在美國，最早有據可查提及奶油泡芙的餐廳菜單出現在1851年波士頓的列維爾之家餐廳里。

奶油泡芙的今生

從13世紀廚房里填滿奶酪的酥皮糕點到維多利亞時期餐廳里的寵兒，低調的奶油泡芙歷經了漫漫長路。曾經只屬于王室的甜點現如今儼然成為面包店貨架上的主打商品。你還可以在大多數超市買到冷凍的奶油泡芙。甚至還有一家名為“貝兒多爸爸的泡芙工房”的奶油泡芙連鎖店在全球開了300家門店。然而什么都不如家里現做的、從烤箱里剛取出來并填滿香甜奶油的千層酥皮美味。咬上一口，想象自己回到了法國宮廷，抑或是坐在列維爾之家餐廳優雅的食客之中。盡管奶油泡芙的起源依然是一個謎，但它的味道卻回答了一切疑問：它就是好吃極了！

1. patroness [?pe?tr?n?es] n. 女資助人

2. choux pastry： （= choux）做奶油酥皮點心的面團；泡芙酥皮

3. bun [b?n] n. 奶油?。▓A）面包，小（圓）果子面包

4. baste [be?st] vt. （烹飪時往肉上）澆汁

5. profiterole [pr??f?t?r??l] n. 甜（或咸）空心餡小圓餅

6. cabbage [?k?b?d?] n. 甘藍，卷心菜

7. leeway [?li?we?] n. （要拼命努力工作才能彌合的）差距

8. pyramid [?p?r?m?d] n. （古埃及的）金字塔；角錐狀物，角錐形

9. nibble [?n?bl] vi. 小口地吃

10. purview [?p??vju?] n. 范圍

11. staple [?ste?pl] n. 主要產品，主要商品