Crème Brûlé

 

Crème Brûlé

Crème Brûlé is my favorite dessert to indulge in when I am working with politicians. It not only puts me in the mood to fight for freedom and the American Way, it reminds me why I spent so much time in Washington, DC and loved to travel to France. It’s an easy recipe to reproduce because it only have four ingredients and produces a smooth delicate custard base that’s covered by an amazing caramelized topping. This recipe was gifted to me by a French Chef I knew years ago by the name of Jean-Paul. He was the best Chef outside of my brother-in-law George who introduced me to him in Washington, DC.

 

Total Time 55minutes mins

 

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

·         6 large egg yolks

·         1/3 cup granulated sugar

·         2 cups heavy whipping cream

·         1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

·         2 tablespoons granulated sugar (for the topping)

Instructions

1.             Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

2.             In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Set aside.

3.             Pour the heavy whipping cream in a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the cream is warm and bubbling around the edges. Remove the cream from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

4.             Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the warm heavy whipping cream into the egg and sugar mixture making sure to whisk well as you're pouring it in. Then, slowly pour in the remaining cream and continue whisking until fully combined. If there's a thin layer of foam on top of the mixture, you can skim this off with a spoon at this point.

5.             Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, then evenly distribute between four 6-ounce ramekins.

6.             Pour the boiling water into an 8-inch square baking pan (or larger pan if you prefer) about 1/3 of the way full. Carefully place the ramekins in the baking dish. The water should come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. If needed, add a little more boiling water to the pan.

7.             Carefully place the baking pan in the oven. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 35 to 45 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the ramekins from the pan using tongs or potholders and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

8.             Once chilled, blot the tops of each custard with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Sprinkle 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of white sugar on top of each custard, shake it around into one even layer, then use a small kitchen torch to carefully caramelize the sugar. Allow the sugar to harden for 1 to 2 minutes, then serve and enjoy, or refrigerate for a few hours until ready to serve. If you don't have a kitchen torch you can place it under a broiler for a few minutes until sugar has crystalized. 

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Pheonix University in Business Management, then a degree in Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology, her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. In her spare time, Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, Gouache, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.