Creme Brulee

There’s something so satisfying about a dessert being both elegant and meant to be broken. Sure, I’ll break through a layer of hard sugar to get to your gooey, luscious center. You had me at sugar. Anyway, this was a fun challenge. I didn’t have a kitchen torch, and I didn’t want to buy one, so I used Mary Berry’s recipe to create the crust. So, yes, you don’t need a torch to do this recipe. Should you maybe splurge and buy a torch? I don’t want to tell you how to live your life, but it would make it a lot easier. Did I need a torch later for my s’mores pie? Yes. Did I still not want to buy a torch because I’m cheap? Also, yes. So, if you’re cheap like me, I will show you how to still make a great crème brulee without the torch!  I used this recipe for the custard: https://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/how-to-make-classic-creme-brulee/

For the Custard:

1 ¾ c heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large egg yolks

¼ c sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 300F. Place 4 (5-6 oz) ramekins in a baking pan. *This is the second challenge that I’ve used those adorable ramekins for! That’s a buy that I totally don’t regret.

2. Fill a kettle and boil some water. *Or if you’re like me and don’t have a kettle, fill your coffee pot with water and let ‘er rip.

3. Meanwhile, heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it just comes to a simmer. Remove from heat. Let it cool for 5 – 10 minutes.

4. Add the egg yolks to a large bowl, preferably one with a spout, and use a fork to pick out any white spots- discard them. Add the sugar and whisk until combined.

5. Whisk in one ladle of cream to temper the eggs. Then whisk in two ladles of cream. Slowly add the rest of the cream to the eggs while whisking until well combined but not frothy.

6. Add the vanilla extract.

7. If you see any lumps, run it through a sieve to get any of the lumps out.

8. Divide the custard among the ramekins. Fill the pan with hot water coming halfway up the ramekins. *I put my baking pan with my ramekins IN the oven before trying to pour the water. I was afraid I would spill the water into ramekins in the moving process to the oven. This worked well for me.

9. Bake for 40 – 55 minutes until the custard is mostly set but still jiggly in the middle.

10. Remove from oven and take ramekins out of the water. Allow to cool on a baking rack for about 30 minutes. Then refrigerate until chilled (about 3 hours).

I used this recipe for the sugar topping sans torch: http://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/cappuccino-creme-brulees-judges-recipe/

Sugar Topping:

While the custard is cooling, start on the sugar topping. If you have a torch, you can just put some sugar on your chilled custard and torch it. If you don’t, Mary Berry says that this way is the best to ensure the crunchy texture if you are broiling it in the oven.

You literally just need sugar for this part of the recipe. Easy peasy.

100g granulated sugar (1/2 c)

1. Put the sugar in a stainless steel pan, and add a little water to dampen.

2. Set over medium heat, stirring gently until the sugar has melted completely.

Turn up the heat and cook without stirring until the sugar syrup has turned to a pale straw colored caramel. *I think I let mine go a bit too far. It was still fine, but just know that it goes faster than you think it will, or at least it did on my electric stove.

3. Pour the caramelized sugar on to a lined baking sheet and leave until cold and hard.

4. Break up the caramel into chunks, then blitz in a food processor into a fine powder.

5. Sprinkle the caramel sugar evenly over the chilled custard. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.

6. Put your oven on broil. *Also, move the rack in your oven to the highest place while still being able to fit your ramekins in. I didn’t do this on the first ones, but I did on the last one (my husband was eating his later), and it helped immensely.

7. Place the ramekins on that top shelf in your oven. Broil until the sugar melts and gets dark. It should happen in 3 – 4 minutes. Be careful not to leave them in too long because you don’t want the sugar to burn, and you don’t want the custard to get warm again. *This happened a little when I did the first round. This video shows what happens:

8. When we made my husband’s with the rack moved, the sugar finished much more quickly and we got a crunchier top and a colder custard.

9. Cool briefly until the caramel sets up and serve.  

Rating (Scale 1 - 5):
Difficulty: 2
Amount of Time: 2
Awesomeness: 4