**Crème brûlée: A Culinary Masterpiece with a Crispy Caramel Crust**
Crème brûlée, a classic French dessert, is a symphony of rich custard infused with vanilla and topped with a decadent caramelized sugar crust. Its origins can be traced back to the 17th century, and it has since captivated taste buds worldwide with its creamy texture and contrasting crunchy topping. This article presents two variations of this timeless dessert: a traditional crème brûlée and a modern twist with a Grand Marnier infusion. Both recipes provide step-by-step instructions, ensuring a delightful and memorable culinary experience.
CREME BRULEE
Make Alton Brown's foolproof Creme Brulee recipe, a French classic with vanilla bean and caramelized sugar, from Good Eats on Food Network.
Provided by Alton Brown
Categories dessert
Time 3h30m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
- Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
JULIA CHILD'S CARAMEL CUSTARD
There are a few tricks to making this delicious custard from Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme, which was featured in The Sunday Times Magazine in 2006. Don't overcook the caramel, and make sure that the baking water only simmers, never boils. When mixing the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisk constantly to avoid curdling the eggs. Individual ramekins can be used in place of a charlotte mold, but dial back the cooking time.
Provided by Julia Child
Categories dessert
Time 2h
Yield Serves 6
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to high and cook, without stirring, until the syrup turns a light caramel color. Remove the saucepan from the heat and dip the bottom into cold water to stop the cooking. Pour the caramel into a 4-cup charlotte mold, and tilt so that it covers the bottoms and sides. Let cool.
- In a small saucepan, bring the milk and vanilla to a boil. In a heatproof bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks and cup sugar until blended. Whisking constantly, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture; let rest for a few minutes, then strain. Pour the custard into the caramel-coated mold.
- Put the mold in a small but deep baking or roasting pan, and add hot water to come about two-thirds up the sides of the mold. Place the pan on the stove over medium heat, and bring the water to a simmer. Transfer the pan to the oven. (The water should stay at a low simmer at all times; do not let it boil or the custard will overcook.) Bake until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Keep the custard in the baking pan until the water cools. Remove from the pan to finish cooling. To serve, run the tip of a knife around the top of the custard to loosen it. Invert a serving platter over the mold and quickly turn it over again. Carefully remove the mold.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 263, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams, Carbohydrate 43 grams, Fat 7 grams, Protein 6 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 65 milligrams, Sugar 43 grams, TransFat 0 grams
CREME BRULEE
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.
- Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.
- To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.
VANILLA CRèME BRûLéE
Five simple ingredients - cream, vanilla, salt, eggs and sugar - make for an exquisitely rich and elegant dessert. Most crème brûlée recipes require the use of a small propane torch to achieve the crackly sugar top, but this version offers a simpler (and safer) solution: your oven's broiler. One thing to note: Be sure to let the custard set for several hours in the refrigerator before brûléeing the top, otherwise you'll end up with soupy custard.
Provided by Mark Bittman
Categories custards and puddings, dessert
Time 1h
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cream, vanilla bean and salt and cook over low heat just until hot. Let sit for a few minutes, then discard vanilla bean. (If using vanilla extract, add it now.)
- In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until light. Stir about a quarter of the cream into this mixture, then pour sugar-egg mixture into cream and stir. Pour into four 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill dish with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until centers are barely set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours and up to a couple of days.
- When ready to serve, top each custard with about a teaspoon of sugar in a thin layer. Place ramekins in a broiler 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes. Serve within two hours.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 407, UnsaturatedFat 15 grams, Carbohydrate 4 grams, Fat 41 grams, Protein 5 grams, SaturatedFat 25 grams, Sodium 121 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams
CRèME BRûLéE
Julia Child believed that every woman should own a blowtorch. If you've lucky enough to have one, it will come in handy for this easy crème brulee recipe. And, if not, the broiler is a great stand-in for a handy-dandy blowtorch.
Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Dessert
Time 7h
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Heat oven to 350°F. In 13x9-inch pan, place 4 (6-oz) ceramic ramekins. In small bowl, slightly beat egg yolks with wire whisk. In large bowl, stir whipping cream, 1/3 cup granulated sugar and the vanilla until well mixed. Add egg yolks; beat with wire whisk until evenly colored and well blended. Pour cream mixture evenly into ramekins.
- Carefully place pan with ramekins in oven. Pour enough boiling water into pan, being careful not to splash water into ramekins, until water covers two-thirds of the height of the ramekins.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until top is light golden brown and sides are set (centers will be jiggly).
- Using tongs or grasping tops of ramekins with pot holder, carefully transfer ramekins to cooling rack. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours but no longer than 48 hours.
- Uncover ramekins; gently blot any liquid from tops of custards with paper towel. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons granulated sugar over each chilled custard. Holding kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from custard, caramelize sugar on each custard by heating with torch about 2 minutes, moving flame continuously over sugar in circular motion, until sugar is melted and light golden brown. (To caramelize sugar in the broiler, see Broiler Directions below.) Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 8 hours before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 540, Carbohydrate 30 g, Cholesterol 440 mg, Fat 7, Fiber 0 g, Protein 7 g, SaturatedFat 25 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 55 mg, Sugar 29 g, TransFat 1 g
CREME BRULEE (JULIA CHILDS)
Categories Egg Frozen Dessert Summer Dessert Bake
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour cream into saucepan. Add vanilla and orange zest. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat, cover pan and let stand 5 minutes. Whish yolks and sugar until thick, pale yellow. Stir egg mixture by dribbles half a cup at a time into yolk mixture. Pour throug seive. Fill ramekins - 1/4 inch from top. Arrange in baking pan and set in oven. Pour in enoug water to come halfway up the ramekins.
- Bake 30-35 minutes until tops are set but center in soft to touch. Cool briefly then chill thoroughly (minimum 4 hours). Sprinkle with suge and use torch to carmelize.
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients: The better the ingredients, the better the crème brûlée will be. Use fresh cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla beans.
- Make sure the custard is cooked properly: The custard should be cooked until it is just set, but not overcooked. Otherwise, it will be rubbery.
- Chill the custard thoroughly before brûléeing: This will help the sugar to caramelize evenly.
- Use a kitchen torch to brûlée the sugar: A kitchen torch will give you the best results. If you don't have a kitchen torch, you can use a broiler, but be careful not to overcook the sugar.
- Serve the crème brûlée immediately: Crème brûlée is best served immediately after it is made. The sugar crust will start to soften after a few hours.
Conclusion:
Crème brûlée is a delicious and elegant dessert that is perfect for any occasion. It is relatively easy to make, but it does require some patience. If you follow the tips in this article, you will be sure to make a perfect crème brûlée.
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