I have never made creme brulee before. Many creme brulee recipes require a great deal of egg yolks and I wanted a recipe that didn't involve the use of too many egg yolks. The Williams and Sonoma version seemed like it would work. It only required 4 egg yolks. I decide to halve the recipe, since I didn't want to make too much. Plus, I only had 1 cup of cream in the house. A family at our church provides us with farm fresh eggs. The egg yolks tend to be a bit richer in color. So, that is what I used for this recipe. If you are making this for a bigger group, I suggest doubling the recipe. The result was what I had hoped it would be... no curdling ... creamy and smooth as can be! The creme brulee was so easy to make and delicious. You can definitely taste the vanilla! Since I didn't have a blow torch, I ended up using the broiler for the sugar topping. But really, I would recommend the blow torch if you have one. The sugar gets caramelized much better. I topped the creme brulees with a few raspberries that were dusted with some sugar. But, you can easily use some blueberries or serve them plain. It is such an elegant dinner dessert.
This will make 4 espresso cups and 1 small 3 inch ramekin... you can easily double it!
Preheat oven to 300° F and have a pot of hot water ready. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and ¼ cup sugar (I also add the vanilla pod); cook, stirring, until steam rises, 4-5 minutes. In a bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla extract (or scraped vanilla seeds from pod) until blended.
Gradually pour hot cream into yolks, stirring constantly.
Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, divide among espresso cups/ramekins.
Line a 3" deep baking pan with a clean kitchen towel (I skipped this and it worked just as well), place espresso cups/ramekins in pan, and add hot water to fill pan halfway up the side of the ramekins. Cover loosely with foil. Bake until set, 30-35 minutes, until the centers of the custards shake gently when the pan is shifted (you don't want them to be watery). I noticed that my espresso cups needed more time (5 -10 minutes) since they were taller than the ramekins.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool slightly. Remove the ramekins from the pan, cool to room temperature, then chill thoroughly 3 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, sprinkle the custards with 2 tsp. sugar and caramelize the topping with a kitchen torch, or place the ramekins under a broiler, 2-3 inches from the heat source for 3-4 minutes. Watch carefully. Sprinkle some berries with granulated sugar and place on top just before serving.
(Adapted from a recipe by Williams-Sonoma® .)
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Serving Size: 1 Serving (56g) | ||
Recipe Makes: 4 Servings | ||
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Calories: 179 | ||
Calories from Fat: 120 (67%) | ||
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Amt Per Serving | % DV | |
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Total Fat 13.3g | 18 % | |
Saturated Fat 7.7g | 38 % | |
Monounsaturated Fat 4.2g | ||
Polyunsanturated Fat 0.8g | ||
Cholesterol 145.6mg | 45 % | |
Sodium 15.4mg | 1 % | |
Potassium 40.4mg | 1 % | |
Total Carbohydrate 13.9g | 4 % | |
Dietary Fiber 0.4g | 1 % | |
Sugars, other 13.5g | ||
Protein 2g | 3 % | |
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition. |
Calories per serving: 179
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