McHubby and I love crème brulee. In fact, it was his dessert of choice throughout our honeymoon in French Polynesia, where the vanilla is abundant and aromatic. This Barefoot Bloggers recipe selection, brought to us by Suzie of Munch + Nibble, is a delicious indulgence. Crème brulee, which translates to “burnt cream,” starts with a custard of egg yolks, heavy cream, and sugar. (I used vanilla sugar in this recipe for a more accentuated vanilla flavoring. Alternatively, you can add a vanilla bean to the cream as it heats; it will add delightful black specks of vanilla throughout the creamy custard.) After dividing the custard among individual ramekins, it is baked in a bain-marie until set, and then cooled until firm. Finally, it is topped with a dusting of sugar that is torched to form a caramelized crust atop the velvety vanilla custard. A luxurious dessert!
Ingredients
1 extra-large egg
4 extra-large egg yolks
½ cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
Directions
Preheat oven to 300°F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and ½ cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.
Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.
To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.
Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.
To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.
I love creme brulee, too and I thought this recipe was super!
ReplyDeletemmmmm now I want a torch so mine comes out pretty like yours!
ReplyDelete