Who invented Chantilly Cream

Have you ever wondered who invented Chantilly cream? Me too! I mean, who doesn’t love the sweet vanilla and sugar infused clouds of rich, velvety cream that make any dessert taste heavenly. I went on a mission to find out and in the process, became a Squire of the Brotherhood of Chantilly Cream Whippers. Yes. Really.

History of Chantilly Cream

The fact is, no one actually knows for sure who came up with the magical mix that makes Chantilly Cream. Historians speculate – some say it was Catherine de Medici, the Italian wife of Henri IV, who brought the technique of whipping cream with her. But the most oft-told story is that French maître d’hôtel (a sort of guest services manager hired by aristocrats in the old days) named Francois Vatel, created the famous cream at the Chateau de Chantilly where he was working – hence the name.

It’s almost certainly not true. Vatel wasn’t a chef. He didn’t work in the kitchen. He was the man who ordered the supplies and made sure that every guest was looked after to a very high degree. At Chantilly, he worked for Louis II de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, AKA “the Grand Condé,” a man who rose to become one of Louis XIV’s most prominent generals despite once getting on the wrong side of the famous control freak king. Vatel’s job was nicknamed “general controller of the mouth of the Grand Condé”, but above all, it was his role to make his boss look good by ensuring that the food served at his table was the best.

In 17th century France hosting great banquets was an important job for a member of the nobility. If the King of France came to dinner, it was really important to show respect and make sure he was treated well. Though not too well as Vatel himself knew from experience. He had previously worked for one Nicolas Fouquet, creator of the stunning Chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte and finance minister to King Louis XIV.

Feast like a French king

The castle had taken 20 years to build, and cost a fortune. At the point where it was almost finished, Fouquet invited the King to dinner. The day of his arrival dawned – 17 August, 1661. Workmen completing the finishing touches (it never was, and still isn’t completely finished), were instructed to down tools. Fouquet tasked Vatel with ensuring a party to remember. There were 80 tables of seated guests. 30 buffet tables heaving with food served with solid gold and silver cutlery. Mollière, the most famous playwright in France, wrote a ballet especially for the night. There was a most amazing firework show which lit up the gorgeous gardens and the stunning castle. The party was an absolute triumph. Everyone was wowed and none more so than the King. Fouquet’s entertainment was better than anything he had ever managed. The king was furious, he felt humiliated by his servant.

A few weeks later, the king ordered Fouquet’s arrest, he was locked up for the rest of his life under the probably trumped-up charge of theft, it was never proved. Vatel fled to England and there he stayed until Condé persuaded him to return.

When the Prince de Conde held a 3-day banquet for Louis XIV in April 1671, Vatel was under huge pressure to make it perfect. And as always happens, things went wrong. The supply orders were huge and not everything turned up as it was expected. It’s said that when not enough cream was delivered, Vatel ordered the cream to be whipped up, added in some extra ingredients and created ‘Chantilly Cream.’

Things actually got a lot worse, and poor Vatel who was exhausted by working on the banquet plans without sleep, went on to kill himself when some fish didn’t turn up on time. But that’s another story.

And as for who invented Chantilly cream – no one really knows!

Chantilly Cream Whippers – it’s a thing!

Whatever the origins, Chantilly Cream is revered in France and loved around the world.

La Confrérie des Chevaliers Fouetteurs de la Crème Chantilly – The Brotherhood of the Whipping Knights of Chantilly Cream – was founded in 2007. The aim is to protect the heritage of and promote the gastronomic delights of Chantilly cream.

And they teach the skills to anyone who is interested. Me for instance!

“You are now a squire of the Brotherhood of the Knights of Whippers of Chantilly Cream.” It’s certainly not something you hear every day. I thanked the red-haired, bespectacled knight who had just inducted me into the guild – and tucked into a waffle piled high with sweet cream and raspberries.

I was on board the MS Raymonde, a hotel barge in the fleet of the French family-owned CroisiEurope company whose boats and barges take you to the most fabulous parts of France. We were on the Oise River in Picardy not far from the exquisite Chateau of Chantilly which we had toured earlier in the day – part of a week-long cruise of the Oise Valley visiting historic towns, castles and pretty villages.

After the tour, a knight of the Confrérie des Chevaliers Fouetteurs de Crème Chantilly – real name Corinne (she works in a local restaurant), came to our boat to show us how to make the famous cream.

Puffed up peaks of perfection

Three of us volunteered to make cream according to her instructions and were awarded brotherhood squire status as a reward. I’ll be honest, it’s not hard to make Chantilly cream though it is physically quite demanding as you need to whip the liquid cream by hand for at least ten minutes. Urged to whip harder, whip faster by Corinne, I produced a bowl of delicious vanilla-flavoured cream, whipped to puffed up peaks of perfection, which passed the hold it over-your-head-upside-down test and was declared delicious by the rest of the boat passengers. This gained me my Squire status in the knighthood and I have a certificate hanging over my desk to prove it!

How to make Chantilly Cream

Shake ice cubes in a metal bowl to make it cold which Corinne says is called a cul-poule which roughly (politely) translates as ‘chicken’s bum’ – the shaking of the ice cubes said to be like chickens shaking their butts to get the eggs out. I have to be honest, I’ve never seen any of my chickens do that, but who knows!

You whip the cream in a downward elliptical motion to start and then as it thickens keep the whip upright and stir in vanilla and powdered (icing) sugar. It’s best to use a real vanilla pod, but you can use vanilla essence. Roughly 500ml (pint) cream to 40g (3 tablespoons) sugar, one vanilla pod.

The cream is ready when the whip stands up. Don’t over whip or you’ll end up with butter! It took me about ten minutes of whipping by hand which wore me out – that was for around 350 ml of cream. Corinne says that on a weekend, she will whip up to 100 litres of cream. I am in awe of her strength and confess that I would use an electric whisk, but don’t tell anyone as it may scupper my chances to advance to a knighthood!

And there you have it a potted history of Chantilly cream!

Find out more about Oise Valley tour: croisieurope.co.uk

Find out more about the Confrérie des Chevaliers Fouetteurs de Crème Chantilly