I have a divine appreciation for outstanding desserts, and creme brulee is one that tops the list. It is so easy to make and has so few ingredients that it's virtually flawless if baked correctly.
Tomorrow night I'm having some friends over for dinner, so I wanted to have a pre-made dessert on hand. Well, when I say pre-made, that means that I pre-made it, not the grocery store!! I have some leftover raspberry sauce, so I thought white chocolate something or other would go well with that...finally settling on the creme brulee.
The trick to fabulous desserts (or any food, really), is the quality of your ingredients. I used the best white chocolate I could find, which happened to be Green and Black's (in the natural foods section of the grocery store). It is so smooth, has a lovely balance, and has little specks of vanilla beans throughout which give the final dessert an extra special touch. If you don't have access to Green and Black's, Callebaut, or one of the other fine chocolates, PLEASE check the labels and find a brand that is PURE white chocolate. I know it sounds simple enough, but most varieties in the grocery store are actually vanilla flavored SHORTENING. Yuck. Even Ghirardelli chips are (but the white chocolate bar is pure). An inexpensive alternative that I often use for dipping and cookies is the Albertson's Essensia brand; for less than $3 you're getting the pure stuff, in easy to melt chips.
Baking the custards in a water bath replicates cooking over a double boiler; gentle heat that ensures no cracking and even baking. I put a towel in the bottom of the pan so the ramekins don't slide around and slosh their contents, or get water into the custard mixture. Other ways to minimize sloshing and/or drips are to fill the pan with boiling water while it's IN the oven, and when they're done, use a baster to remove some of the water before you lift it out. Also, I am lucky enough to have one of those nifty little kitchen torches, but you can steal your husband's blow torch from the garage! Just be careful! You can also butter a piece of foil, sprinkle sugar on it, and broil it (watching carefully) for a few seconds, and then cool it on a wire rack. Enjoy!
White Chocolate Creme Brulee
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Whisk together 6 egg yolks, 2 cups heavy cream, 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract, and 3 tbsp sugar. Set aside.
Coarsely chop about 8 ounces good quality white chocolate (two 3.5 oz bars will work fine). Melt, stirring constantly, in a double boiler over lightly simmering water. Remove from heat and whisk in cream mixture until
thoroughly combined.
Divide between 6 ramekins. Line a 13x9" pan with a cloth and place the filled cups onto the towel. Place in the pre-heated oven and quickly fill larger pan with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Bake 40-50 min, or until the center is still loose but the edges are set. (It kind of looks like Jello.) Remove from the water bath and chill for at least 2 hours.
Just before serving, sprinkle with about 1 tsp sugar. Hold the torch close, until sugar turns brown, but doesn't burn, moving it back and forth to caramelize the top. Serve immediately, or the caramel will melt into the dessert.
Tomorrow night I'm having some friends over for dinner, so I wanted to have a pre-made dessert on hand. Well, when I say pre-made, that means that I pre-made it, not the grocery store!! I have some leftover raspberry sauce, so I thought white chocolate something or other would go well with that...finally settling on the creme brulee.
The trick to fabulous desserts (or any food, really), is the quality of your ingredients. I used the best white chocolate I could find, which happened to be Green and Black's (in the natural foods section of the grocery store). It is so smooth, has a lovely balance, and has little specks of vanilla beans throughout which give the final dessert an extra special touch. If you don't have access to Green and Black's, Callebaut, or one of the other fine chocolates, PLEASE check the labels and find a brand that is PURE white chocolate. I know it sounds simple enough, but most varieties in the grocery store are actually vanilla flavored SHORTENING. Yuck. Even Ghirardelli chips are (but the white chocolate bar is pure). An inexpensive alternative that I often use for dipping and cookies is the Albertson's Essensia brand; for less than $3 you're getting the pure stuff, in easy to melt chips.
Baking the custards in a water bath replicates cooking over a double boiler; gentle heat that ensures no cracking and even baking. I put a towel in the bottom of the pan so the ramekins don't slide around and slosh their contents, or get water into the custard mixture. Other ways to minimize sloshing and/or drips are to fill the pan with boiling water while it's IN the oven, and when they're done, use a baster to remove some of the water before you lift it out. Also, I am lucky enough to have one of those nifty little kitchen torches, but you can steal your husband's blow torch from the garage! Just be careful! You can also butter a piece of foil, sprinkle sugar on it, and broil it (watching carefully) for a few seconds, and then cool it on a wire rack. Enjoy!
White Chocolate Creme Brulee
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Whisk together 6 egg yolks, 2 cups heavy cream, 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract, and 3 tbsp sugar. Set aside.
Coarsely chop about 8 ounces good quality white chocolate (two 3.5 oz bars will work fine). Melt, stirring constantly, in a double boiler over lightly simmering water. Remove from heat and whisk in cream mixture until
thoroughly combined.Divide between 6 ramekins. Line a 13x9" pan with a cloth and place the filled cups onto the towel. Place in the pre-heated oven and quickly fill larger pan with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Bake 40-50 min, or until the center is still loose but the edges are set. (It kind of looks like Jello.) Remove from the water bath and chill for at least 2 hours.
Just before serving, sprinkle with about 1 tsp sugar. Hold the torch close, until sugar turns brown, but doesn't burn, moving it back and forth to caramelize the top. Serve immediately, or the caramel will melt into the dessert.
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