daily meal

Monday, January 31, 2011

Crème Brûlée

Although I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic and have attended many chocolate buffets, parties, and tastings, crème brûlée is my all time favorite non-chocolate dessert! There is just something about the crunchy, sugary topping, and the rich and creamy, vanilla custard filling that I cannot get enough of! Even when I was in Paris, I had to order two things every day: crème brûlée and a chocolate filled crêpe (I still had to get my chocolate fix somehow). 

Granted, even though crème brûlée may not be the healthiest of desserts, it does not make you feel as full and overstuffed like many other after dinner treats can. Although I love the lightness of crème brûlée, some may view it as a danger, as you can often eat more than one!  What makes this dessert even better though, is that it is surprisingly easy to make.  I had always assumed that making crème brûlée would be an extremely difficult, tiresome, process, but thankfully it is the complete opposite! 
Crème Brûlée
Ingredients:
-1 extra large egg
-4 extra large egg yolks
-1/2 cup of sugar plus more for sprinkling
-3 cups heavy cream
-1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. 

In a bowl, blend the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of sugar until just combined. Meanwhile, scaled the cream until it is just hot enough, but do not boil.  When the cream is ready, pour it slowly into the egg mixture while blending it together on low-medium speed.  Add the vanilla.  I usually use all of the vanilla because I like the taste, but if you prefer a lighter vanilla taste, then just use 1 teaspoon.  

Once the mixture is ready, pour into individual ramekins.  Place the ramekins in a larger baking pan and fill the pan with hot (preferably boiling hot) water until it comes about halfway up the ramekins.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until the custard is set.  Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and allow to cool to room temperature.  Once cooled, chill in the fridge for at least one hour, but they will taste even better if you let them sit overnight. 

When ready to serve, sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar evenly over each individual ramekin.  Using a kitchen blowtorch, heat the sugar until it caramelizes.  If you do not have a torch, a broiler can work as well.  Allow to sit for one minute so that the caramelized sugar will harden.  Serve plain, or with a dollop of whipped cream.  Enjoy! 


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17 comments:

  1. This is my fav dessert any time .. I absolutely love it. I saved your recipe and will make it soon :)

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  2. Thanks! Let me know if you have any questions.

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  3. I am a chocoholic too. But, i have yet to try a very good creme brule. Yours looks very nice :)

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  4. Creme brulee is one of my all time fave desserts. Thanks for the reminder. Yours looks delish!

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  5. Oh yum. This is my husbands favorite dessert. I too thought it was too hard to make. I will have to try this this weekend for him. Thank you.

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  6. Looks so pretty with all that burnt sugar on top! I've never made this myself, maybe its time!

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  7. We love it, too! Yours looks perfect...I'd love to crack that gorgeous crust and taste a creamy bite :)

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  8. I never made creme brulee, it is just something no one in my family would eat :( Thank you fro sharing!

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  9. This looks so good!! I really need to try and make this!

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  10. This looks delicious! I definitely need to try making this!

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  11. Beautiful pictures, and such an easy recipe! Yum!

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  12. oooh It looks sooo delicious, love it .. . just wondering Elyse have you tried using the vanilla pod, warming it in the cream . . oooh it makes is even more divine than usual. Mmmmmmm one of my Hubby's all time favourite :)

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  13. I haven't been able to use the actual vanilla yet because it is so hard to get where I am. I don't know why but they never have it! When I can get my hands on it though I definitely savour the moment lol

    But yeah, I never thought I would like this dessert the first time I ordered it, and I ended up falling in love! :)

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  14. That is one amazing dessert ... The crunchiness on top with the creamy taste thereafter - YUM!

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  15. I've never met a creme brulee I didn't like. Thanks for sharing!

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  16. This looks fantastic and I'm sure that it tasted amazing. I'm always surprised by how intimidated people are by creme brulee. It is actually quite simple to make.

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  17. I know! Although it's kind of a bad thing that it is so simple to make because I eat too much of it... :)

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