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Friday 14 September 2012

creme brûlée


My absolute favorite dessert of all time, a deliciously decadent creme brûlée. Despite what you might think, i'm not really a dessert person. I make them, I taste them, but I don't really eat a whole lot of them. I will take a cheese board over a dessert any day of the week, unless there is one of these on offer. These are not a bit difficult to make if you don't rush it.

The perfect creme should have a bit of wobble to it, the only danger is that you will cook your eggs a bit too quickly or too hot and they will scramble. If this happens, just throw it away and chalk it down to experience - there is no redeeming features to sweet scrambled eggs. But if you take it slowly and watch care fully it won't happen, it takes care of itself in the oven and the end result is sublime.



These quantities are for six portions in a regular sized ramekin - I make four slightly larger ones in large shallow dishes so I can have even more crunchy sugar topping. Only caramelize when you are ready to serve them as  the sugar will soften again if left standing around for any length of time. Here I have it with a few summer berries and a raspberry sauce, any seasonal fruit can be served along side but in general it is a stand alone dessert that needs nothing else.

If you don’t own a mini blowtorch, caramelise them under the grill, it will come out pretty even as long as you watch they don't burn.



Ingredients
500ml/18fl oz double cream
1 vanilla pod
100g/4oz caster sugar (plus extra for the topping)
6 free-range egg yolks

Method
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F. Pour your cream into a saucepan and split the vanilla pod lengthways scraping the seeds into the cream. Chop the empty pod into small pieces, and add those to the cream also. Bring the cream just up to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, very gently for five minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat the sugar and egg yolks together in a large heatproof bowl until pale and fluffy. Bring the cream back to boiling point. Pour it over the egg mixture, whisking continuously until thickened - this indicates that the eggs have begun to cook slightly.

Strain the mixture through a sieve into a large jug, and then use this to fill six (or a greedy four) ramekins to about two-thirds full. Place the ramekins into a large roasting tray and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up their sides, a bain-marie in other words.

Place the bain-marie onto the centre shelf of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the custards are just set but still a bit wobbly in the centre. You are looking for a jelly type of wobble here
Remove the ramekins from the water and set aside to cool to room temperature. Chill until needed.
When ready to serve, sprinkle one level teaspoon of caster sugar evenly over the surface of each crème brûlée, then caramelise with a chefs' blow-torch. Set aside to cool for a couple of minutes, then serve.




16 comments:

  1. I would take dessert over cheese any day so this is right up my street! Love the look of that crunchy crackled crust.

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    1. Few things better than the crunchy sugar crust. Thanks for stopping by again:)

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  2. There is little better than a good creme brûlée. Apart from really enticing photos to make you want to eat it immediately!

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    1. It is the smell of the caramelized sugar that brings out the child in me - it's a bit candy flossish? I think thats why I like it so much.

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  3. Brulee is this week's project in this house. Tasting great great but having difficulty caramelising the sugar without splitting the base into a yogurt consistency.

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    1. If it is chilled enough it is not usually a problem - grill as hot as possible and the custards taken straight out of the fridge last minute works every time for me - but the little blow torch is the right job if you have one.

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    2. Ok. Will try again tomorrow. Thanks a million.

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  5. This looks wonderful - one of my favourite desserts. Love the raspberry sauce too.

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  6. This looks delicious. Ahem creme brulee & I have parted ways after my attempt to burn down the house with the blow torch. I must find somebody to make it for me instead. Stunning pictures as always!

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    1. You are not particularly successful with fire, it's true. Tell you what, I'll make you one of these and you stick to the freezer based desserts ;)

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  8. These brulees look amazing. They are the husband's all time favourite dessert. I have a shiny new blowtorch that I want to get more use out of too, so these look ideal.

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    1. Thanks Adrienne - it's important to treat yourself to shiny kitchen toys now and again :)

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