Crème brûlée - SLIDEBLAST.COM
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Crème brûlée Caramel-topped custard On my first trip to Paris, I ordered a crème brûlée and it tasted awful. In my virtually nonexistent French, I tried in vain to complain to the waiter that it tasted burned, only for him to retort that it was crème brûlée and meant to be burned. Fortunately now my French is good enough to explain that crème brûlée is a rich custard topped with a hard caramel, not a burned caramel. The classic crème brûlée is just cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla, but I use a combination of cream and milk, which makes a rich custard without the heaviness of using only cream. In summer, I often put a small handful of raspberries or blueberries (or a few halved strawberries) into the bottom of each ramekin before completely submerging them in the custard. • 1¼ cups heavy cream • scant 1 cup milk • 1 vanilla pod • 6 egg yolks • ½ cup sugar For the caramel topping: 2 tbsp superfine sugar • 2 tbsp raw cane sugar
Pour the cream and milk into a pan. Split the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape out the grains. Add the pod and grains to the cream and milk. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and remove the pod from the pan. Combine the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl, then slowly pour in the hot cream, whisking continuously. Do not overwhisk as you want to avoid creating too many bubbles. If you have time, pour the custard into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. This gives the vanilla more time to flavor the cream and milk. Preheat the oven to 225°F. Divide the custard between six wide, shallow ramekins and place in a roasting pan. Pour cold water into the pan to come halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30–40 minutes or until the custard is set around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the middle. Remove the ramekins from the water and set aside until cooled to room temperature. Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap (don’t let it touch the custard) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. »»
RECIPE FROM THE LIT TLE PAR IS K ITCHEN BY R ACHEL KHOO
CONTINUED
Crème brûlée Caramel-topped custard
Uncover the ramekins and check to see if condensation has collected on the custards. If it has, gently place paper towels on the surface to soak up the moisture. Mix the two types of sugar together and sprinkle a nice even layer of sugar over each custard. Do this by holding the spoon at least 12 inches away from the ramekin—sprinkling from a height is the best way to create an even layer of sugar. WHEN RE ADY TO SERVE , MAKE THE CAR AMEL TOPPING:
Place the ramekins on a metal tray. For best results, use a handheld blowtorch and hold it 4–5 inches away from the sugar. Move the flame slowly around the sugar, maintaining a slow and even motion. Stop torching just before the desired degree of caramelization is reached, as the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds after the flame has been removed. If you don’t have a blowtorch, take a large metal spoon and hold it in a gas flame until very hot (it will turn blue, almost black in color). Place the spoon on the sugar and move it around so that the heat of the spoon caramelizes the sugar. Why not try something different instead of vanilla? The key is to add dry ingredients or just a teaspoon or two of liquid flavoring (e.g., almond extract, orange flower water, rose water) to the cream and milk before bringing to a boil—any more liquid and there’s a risk of the custard not setting. Here are some ideas. • 1 teaspoon dried lavender (strain it out before combining the cream and milk with the egg yolks and sugar) • finely grated zest of 1 orange or lemon • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or Indonesian long pepper (this goes particularly well with raspberries in the crème brûlée) • a pinch of saffron threads Tips • T he custard can be made up to 4 days in advance, but the caramel topping has to be done just before serving. Caramel becomes soft with time, due to the humidity in the air. • You need wide, shallow ramekins to get a high caramel to custard ratio, which is key for a successful crème brûlée. • If you’re not using the leftover egg whites straightaway, freeze them in an airtight container with the date on the label and use within a month. They can also be kept in the fridge for several days.
Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 30–40 minutes Resting time: 4 hours–overnight
RECIPE FROM THE LIT TLE PAR IS K ITCHEN BY R ACHEL KHOO
Crème brûlée Caramel-topped custard On my first trip to Paris, I ordered a crème brûlée and it tasted awful. In my virtually nonexistent French, I tried in vain to complain to the waiter that it tasted burned, only for him to retort that it was crème brûlée and meant to be burned. Fortunately now my French is good enough to explain that crème brûlée is a rich custard topped with a hard caramel, not a burned caramel. The classic crème brûlée is just cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla, but I use a combination of cream and milk, which makes a rich custard without the heaviness of using only cream. In summer, I often put a small handful of raspberries or blueberries (or a few halved strawberries) into the bottom of each ramekin before completely submerging them in the custard. • 1¼ cups heavy cream • scant 1 cup milk • 1 vanilla pod • 6 egg yolks • ½ cup sugar For the caramel topping: 2 tbsp superfine sugar • 2 tbsp raw cane sugar
Pour the cream and milk into a pan. Split the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape out the grains. Add the pod and grains to the cream and milk. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and remove the pod from the pan. Combine the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl, then slowly pour in the hot cream, whisking continuously. Do not overwhisk as you want to avoid creating too many bubbles. If you have time, pour the custard into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. This gives the vanilla more time to flavor the cream and milk. Preheat the oven to 225°F. Divide the custard between six wide, shallow ramekins and place in a roasting pan. Pour cold water into the pan to come halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30–40 minutes or until the custard is set around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the middle. Remove the ramekins from the water and set aside until cooled to room temperature. Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap (don’t let it touch the custard) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. »»
RECIPE FROM THE LIT TLE PAR IS K ITCHEN BY R ACHEL KHOO
CONTINUED
Crème brûlée Caramel-topped custard
Uncover the ramekins and check to see if condensation has collected on the custards. If it has, gently place paper towels on the surface to soak up the moisture. Mix the two types of sugar together and sprinkle a nice even layer of sugar over each custard. Do this by holding the spoon at least 12 inches away from the ramekin—sprinkling from a height is the best way to create an even layer of sugar. WHEN RE ADY TO SERVE , MAKE THE CAR AMEL TOPPING:
Place the ramekins on a metal tray. For best results, use a handheld blowtorch and hold it 4–5 inches away from the sugar. Move the flame slowly around the sugar, maintaining a slow and even motion. Stop torching just before the desired degree of caramelization is reached, as the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds after the flame has been removed. If you don’t have a blowtorch, take a large metal spoon and hold it in a gas flame until very hot (it will turn blue, almost black in color). Place the spoon on the sugar and move it around so that the heat of the spoon caramelizes the sugar. Why not try something different instead of vanilla? The key is to add dry ingredients or just a teaspoon or two of liquid flavoring (e.g., almond extract, orange flower water, rose water) to the cream and milk before bringing to a boil—any more liquid and there’s a risk of the custard not setting. Here are some ideas. • 1 teaspoon dried lavender (strain it out before combining the cream and milk with the egg yolks and sugar) • finely grated zest of 1 orange or lemon • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or Indonesian long pepper (this goes particularly well with raspberries in the crème brûlée) • a pinch of saffron threads Tips • T he custard can be made up to 4 days in advance, but the caramel topping has to be done just before serving. Caramel becomes soft with time, due to the humidity in the air. • You need wide, shallow ramekins to get a high caramel to custard ratio, which is key for a successful crème brûlée. • If you’re not using the leftover egg whites straightaway, freeze them in an airtight container with the date on the label and use within a month. They can also be kept in the fridge for several days.
Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 30–40 minutes Resting time: 4 hours–overnight
RECIPE FROM THE LIT TLE PAR IS K ITCHEN BY R ACHEL KHOO
