It’s apparently “throwback French food” week here at The Kitchen Chronicles, so I’m topping Tuesday’s duck confit with the MOST classic (retro, even) of them all, crème brûlée. This poor dessert has been overdone by restaurants to the point of no return, but it just doesn’t even matter. I still order it, I still find it to be delicious, simple perfection, and I still found myself setting off my smoke alarm with my crème brûlée blowtorch a few Mondays ago. Classic.
The best part is that this might be the easiest dessert I’ve ever made. As in, it’s way easier than making a batch of Toll House chocolate chip cookies from the back of the bag. It’s on par with making boxed brownies in terms of the amount of your time and skill it will require. Basically, you need a few pantry and fridge staples and a medium bowl. Oh, and a blowtorch.
I think the blowtorch is where people get hung up. However, they are very cost effective (I ordered mine on Amazon for a mere $20) and easy to refill when the time comes. They’re small and not scary, and this is coming from someone who was scared to light a match until I was about 16. Plus, there’s a world of desserts out there that you could be pouring sugar on and brûléeing, but you’re not, and this is going to open doors.
Once you’ve acquired the blowtorch (or have a great broiler – it’s possible to do but come on, don’t you want a blowtorch?), you could very easily make crème brûlée without warning on a Wednesday after work with things in the fridge. Which is both amazing and very alarming. The custard gets whisked together, then baked in individual ramekins in the oven, then cooled to room temperature. Then off they go to the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Once they’re nice and set, that’s when the magic happens – the burnt sugar that leads to the moment of joy when you tap the top with your spoon and the dessert cracks open and underneath is that familiar and ever so comforting custard we’ve all grown to love.
The best baking dishes are shallow, ideally about an inch high, about 4 inches in diameter and holding about 3/4 cup of liquid. Porcelain, pottery or glass gratin or baking dishes are perfect, but you can also use ramekins (which I did).
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- About 6 tablespoons sugar or sifted light brown sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Put the six baking dishes on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
- Bring the cream and milk just to a boil.
- In a 1- or 2-quart glass measuring cup or in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together until well blended but not airy. Still whisking, drizzle in about one quarter of the hot liquid - this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the cream and milk. Give the bowl a good rap against the counter to de-bubble the custard, then strain it into the baking dishes.
- Bak ethe custards for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the centers are set - tap the side so fthe dishes, and the custards should hold firm. Lift the dishes onto a cooling rack and let the custards cool until they reach room temperature.
- Cover each custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably longer. (The custards can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) For the sugar to be successfully caramelized, the custards need to be thoroughly chilled.
- To caramelize the sugar topping with a blowtorch, work on one dish at a time. SPrinkle the top of each custard evenly with sugar - about 1 tablespoon for each dish - then brown the sugar, cooking it until it bubbles and colors. Wait until the bubbles subside before serving the crèmes.
- To caramelize the sugar in a broiler, preheat the broiler and fill a shallow roasting pan with ice cubes. Sprinkle the custards with the sugar, put the baking dishes on the bed of ice and run the custards under the broiler. Don't move away from the oven - depending on your broiler, it can take seconds or minutes to caramelize the sugar, and you don't want to miss the moment and ruin the topping. When the sugar, bubbles and browns, pull the custards out, remove them from their ice bed and let them settle down before serving.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2016/04/07/creme-brulee/
