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Looking for a truly impressive dessert? It's time to learn how to make creme brulee. And yes, you do get to use a blow torch for this creamy, caramely, crackly treat.
Mostly I like humble food. Things you can cook in one big pot and dip some crusty bread in or things so simple a child could make them. But every now and then, my Sagittarius sun goes in search of something more extravagant, more delicate, more intricate.
Now, you'll never catch me in a fine dining restaurant. It would be wasted on me. A fancy patisserie, on the other hand, or a quaint cafe with a gorgeous dessert case? I'm all over that. Give me all your fancy sweets. And while I'm quite content to let the experts make most of it, sometimes you want a bit of that luxury in your own kitchen.
What makes Creme Brulee so awesome?
There's something about creme brulee that feels super special. It's really just a baked custard with a hard candy shell, but it's not something I grew up with, so it feels almost exotic to my working class American experience. With its creamy, subtle base and the sharp crunch of burnt sugar on top, it's just so fun to eat.
The sugar takes on a bit of bitterness as it burns, which just adds to the complexity of flavor. This custard is spiked with a bit of orange liqueur for a pop of brightness. Serve this for date night or whenever you have someone over who you really want to impress. Bring everyone into the kitchen for the fire show as well. This dish is delicious and entertaining.
The Element of Fire in Kitchen Witchcraft
There is no cooking without fire. And to our ancient ancestors, the making and controlling of fire consumed a lot more mental energy than it does today where we simply flip a switch or turn a knob. The hearth was the center of the home, a source of heat as well as the place where food was cooked and water was heated for bathing. This was the kitchen witch's domain, and keeping the home fires burning was central to their practice.
In this recipe, we're using fire in the more common sense by baking these in the oven, but we're also calling on its energy in a more dramatic fashion. We use a high powered flame to transmute sugar from white crystals to bubbling liquid, to a smooth glassy shell. We can witness the power of fire right before our eyes and remember how fire energy can transform us and our manifestations as well.
So honor your inner fire with this recipe. Think about how it can transform your energy. Make sure you tend to it and never let it burn out. You need it to keep you motivated and inspired, so take good care of it.
Tips for making Creme Brulee
Like all things French, creme brulee can be a tiny bit fiddly, but you can totally do it. I did. We're going to heat some cream but be careful to take it off the heat as soon as we see bubbles. We're going to whisk together eggs and sugar, then slowly drizzle in the hot cream, being careful not to add too much at a time, lest we scramble our eggs. Then we'll mix in some vanilla and orange liqueur for a bit of flavor.
Strain this mixture through a mesh sieve before adding it to your ramekins. Shallow and wide ramekins are extra awesome, but work with what you got. Put these into a baking dish, pour some just boiled water into the baking dish to come about halfway up the ramekins, then put the whole thing in a low oven until your custards are just barely wobbling. Let it cool, and then refrigerate them until you're ready to serve.
To get your crackly brulee tops, sprinkle an even layer of sugar over the top of each custard, then use your blow torch to melt the sugar. You can also do this under a broiler, but keep a close eye on them. Let this cool and harden before serving. Then watch everyone's face light up as they crack through the candy top with the back of their spoon.
When you're ready for something elegant, try this Creme Brulee. You get to use a blow torch, so you know it's gonna be awesome.
Looking for more awesome dessert ideas? Try a boozy Buttery Nipple Milkshake or a beautiful Citrus Bundt Cake.
PrintCreme Brulee
Looking for a truly impressive dessert? It's time to learn how to make creme brulee. And yes, you do get to use a blow torch for this creamy, caramely, crackly treat.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup sugar, plus 3 teaspoons for the top
- 1-½ cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-½ teaspoons Triple Sec or other orange liqueur
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C) and put a kettle of water on to boil.
- Put your heavy cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. You want it to get hot, but you don't want it to boil, so keep a close eye on it. At the first sign of a bubble, remove it from the heat.
- While your cream is getting hot, beat together your eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in your hot cream. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur.
- Pour the mixer through a mesh sieve to catch any thick eggy bits, then pour it evenly into three 6 ounce ramekins.
- Place your ramekins in a rectangular cake pan. Pour the water from your recently boiled kettle into the cake pan until it comes about half way up the side of the ramekins.
- Place the whole thing carefully in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until there's just the slightest hint of a wobble.
- Allow the custard to cool to room temperature, then put it in the fridge for at least two hours.
- Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar evenly over the top of each custard, and use your kitchen torch to melt the sugar. If you don't have a torch, you can place them under the broiler for a few minutes, but keep a close eye on them.
- Give everything a few minutes to cool off before serving.
Keywords: Custard
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Jenni S. says
I'm pretty sure this is the perfect excuse to break out the kitchen torch I bought and haven't used yet. I haven't used it because I rarely cook without my 3 year old around, and he's become fascinated by videos of people who spin fire, drum with fire, etc... he's a budding pyro and I'm trying to curb the fascination. But this? This is way too delicious-looking to pass up! Definitely pinning this one.