Creme Brulee

Before I get into this I just want to say that I realize that "creme brulee" is French, and some of the letters actually are supposed to accent marks over them, but I don't know how to do that in blogger.

A few years ago I got a phone call asking me to teach an enrichment class for some women at our church. They wanted it to be a cooking class with the subject being desserts that say "I love you". I toyed with some ideas for awhile, and had several different recipes, one of them my sugar cookie recipe because that's one way I show my kids I love them, letting them help bake and decorate something they love to eat. Then finally I ended up with the main show- creme brulee. I had never made it before, I wasn't even sure if I could, but it was fancy and french, and they serve it at fancy restaurants where you would take someone you love for a special occasion. So I looked up a few different recipes, compiled a list of tips and tricks (see creme brulee savvy down below) and made my very first ever batch and it was perfect and yummy if I do say so myself.

The class was a success, I even had people come up to me days later saying "I made that last weekend, and they turned out perfect!!" The recipe I use comes from a family cookbook submitted by my mom's sister, Janis. I made creme brulee for a family gathering last night, and it was the first time my mom had ever had creme brulee in her life. Needless to say, she loved it.

Oh also, I like to use a kitchen torch purchased at my local hardware store. The smaller kind. Besides getting better results, it's just way cooler to use, and suddenly all the guys in the room wake up from whatever football slumber they are in and come to check out (or play with ) my torch. Also, just FYI, when I bought it, I was somewhat ignorant on butane torches in general, so I asked the guy if "it was a good one" and his reply was that the heroin addicts liked it since they are always stealing them. And we love them served with fresh berries. Whatever is on sale works for us.

Creme Brulee

3 cups heavy cream
Dash of salt
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 T granulated sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine cream and salt. Cook over medium heat just until cream begins to simmer Do NOT boil. In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Remove cream from heat. Gradually add egg yolk to mixture, stirring gently until sugar dissolves. Stir in vanilla. Strain mixture into large measuring cup. This will make it easier to pour the liquid into ramekins. Fill 6 heat proof ramekins (6 to 8 oz each) with mixture and place in a large roasting pan; place pan in oven and pour hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover pan loosely with foil. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove ramekins from oven; cool. Chill for several hours. Just before serving preheat broiler for 10 minutes. Sprinkle about ½ T of sugar evenly over tops of custards. Place ramekins, a few at a time as close to the broiler as possible It will take up to 2 minutes for the sugar to caramelize. Watch carefully. The dishes might have to be moved around for even browning. Serves 6

Creme Brulee Savvy

• Before eggs are added to the hot milk or cream, “temper” them by whisking in just a little of the hot liquid to warm them up. This heats them up gradually to prevent curdling. The mixture is then added back to the pan and whisked into the hot liquid.
  
• Many custard recipes call for cooking the mixture until it is thick enough to “coat the back of the spoon” To test if the density is correct, carefully run your finger along the custard coating the spoon. If the path does not flow back onto itself, the custard is ready to be removed from the heat. To avoid overcooking the custard, cook it just until it reaches this stage.


• Because milk may develop a skin when it has boiled, it should not boil or even simmer. Cook the cream only until the liquid is hot.
  
• Strain the custard to remove any air bubbles or lumps.
  
• Bake the custard in a water bath. To do this fold a kitchen towel and place in the bottom of a roasting pan. This prevents the dishes from banging together and protects the dishes from the direct heat of the bottom of the pan. Pour hot water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Check to make sure the water doesn’t all evaporate out before the custards are done.
  
• A kitchen torch works best (can be purchased at local home improvement stores) for more even caramelizing of the sugar. Serve immediately after caramelizing, for that perfect "crack".