Burn Baby Burn, Custard Inferno! - Crème Brûlée

Crème Brûlée.......

The mere word conjures feelings of pure decadence. This is completely understandable considering the amount of fat contained in these little dishes of burnt sugar crusted heaven. But then again, this is a desert to be relished on special occasions. After all, you wouldn’t sit down and eat a whole pint of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey for dessert every night of the week now, would you? Or would you?

To be honest though, a 4 oz serving of Crème Brûlée, while not exactly healthy, really isn’t THAT bad.  I mean, it's loaded with calcium and potassium, right?

I love to make Crème Brûlée when I am having a large dinner party; in fact, I find it to be the perfect ending to most complex dinners. There is something refreshing about it’s simplicity after more complicated offerings, and most guests feel truly spoiled when being served such a dessert. I had one guest who commented that the main reason they showed up was in hopes of Crème Brûlée after dinner. Ya know, to this day, I am still not sure if I should be offended or flattered by that.

As stated earlier, Crème Brûlée is ingenious in its simplicity. It is nothing more than a combination of cream, egg yolk, and sugar, flavored with vanilla. What makes Crème Brûlée so much different from other custards is the method of combining these 4 ingredients. After all these years and many, many, many batches of burnt custard, I have found that there is just no way around it; you will need the following to properly execute this dish:

1. A Bain-Marie (Double Boiler) to bring the custard to the Crème Anglaise stage. (When a clean line remains on the back of a spoon when your finger is drawn through it. If you have ever made cold process soap, another way to equate this stage is ‘light trace’). This step removes all of the air bubbles whisked in while conditioning the yolks. If not, you will have cooked foam on top of your finished crème. It also prevents accidental overcooking of the eggs as well as speeding up the baking process.
2. Cheese cloth – No matter how good anyone is at separating eggs, you will almost always end up with a little egg white and at least part of the chalaza (The twisted albumen at each end of the yolk to hold it in place inside the shell.) Albumen coagulates at a much lower temp than the yolk will, and therefore must be strained out of the final mixture or you will have chunks.  (not sparkly)
3. A kitchen torch or a Crème Brûlée iron - Trying to caramelize sugar under the broiler yields unsatisfactory results at best, no matter what they say on the Food Network.
4. 4 - 4 oz ramekins that are only about 1 inch deep. Otherwise the cooking time will be off. And let’s face it; really good Crème Brûlée has a specific ratio of crusty caramel goodness to custard, if your ramekins are too deep it throws this ratio off. Bigger surface area means more crust.
5. A roasting pan to use as a water bath. Unlike cheesecake (Which is a custard as well) you cannot cheat and place it in a dry oven, Crème Brûlée needs the gentle 212 degree heating of a water bath or it will quickly become over done and tough.

I know all this just made this undertaking sound REALLY complicated, but I assure you, it's is fairly easy to execute.

Basic Crème Brûlée

1/2 of a Vanilla Bean (Pod and Caviar)
pinch of Kosher Salt
2 cup of Heavy Cream (Light whipping cream and half and half add too much milk protein and make the Crème Brûlée tough.)
1/3 cup Caster or Bakers sugar (It dissolves quicker)
1/2 cup of Egg Yolk, Room Temperature (Yes, I use a liquid volume measure for this, that way it doesn’t matter what size eggs I have in the fridge. 1/4 cup yolk for every cup of heavy cream seems to be the perfect ratio, giving the Crème Brûlée the silky smooth texture)

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees

Split, then scrape your Vanilla Bean, with the back of the knife, to free the inner caviar.

In a medium sauce pan heat Heavy Cream, Kosher Salt, Vanilla Caviar as well as the Pod to just below a boil (scald)

Place the bottom of the double boiler on the stove with about 1 inch of water, begin heating on medium heat.

In the top of the double boiler, but no over the heating water yet, whisk the Egg Yolks and Sugar until the sugar melts and no longer feels gritty in your fingers.

Place a tea kettle over medium heat as well, you will need it for the water bath later........

When cream has hit scald point, remove the pan from the heat, cover and let the Vanilla steep for 5-10 minutes, then fish out the Vanilla Pod.

Begin whisking yolks as you slowly pour the hot cream over them. (this will prevent you from having sweetened scrambles eggs)

Place mixture over the simmering water and cook until the Crème Anglaise stage mentioned above. Your custard should be smooth and almost bubble free.

Strain through 3 layers of cheese cloth into a vessel you can pour from, this removes ANY lumps. (I filter it into a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup, for easy filling of the ramekins)

Fill ramekins about 3/4 full and place in a roasting pan.

Pull the rack from your oven out and place the roasting pan upon it and finish filling the ramekins almost to the top.

Push the oven rack in and fill the pan with hot water from the kettle until it comes half way up the sides of the ramekins, close the door and reduce the temperature to 325F degrees.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, the center will still be a little jiggly, that is good, if it’s not jiggly, then they are over done.

Carefully remove roasting pan from oven and quickly remove ramekins from hot water to a cooking rack. (I use tongs for this.)

Let Crème Brûlée cool to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator over night.

40 minutes before serving, remove from refrigerator and sprinkle the tops with a thin layer of plain old granulated sugar, or for a super special treat, use Demerara Sugar. (Which is actually my favorite)

With the ramekin in 1 hand and the lit kitchen torch in the other, apply the flame to the sugar, about 4 inches away, as soon as it begins to melt and run, twist the ramekin in your hand, I find this easier than moving the torch around. (I know, I am doing it on the counter, contrary to how I am saying it should be done, but in my defense, I needed one hand for the camera)

When all the tops are covered with a burnt crust, refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving, this will re-chill the custard slightly, but will not be long enough for the crust to get or turn into liquid.

Now take a spoon, and hold the ramekin up to your ear while forcefully applying your spoon to the crust, just to hear that satisfying “Crack” when the crust breaks.

Then there is the perfect spoonful, with just a small amount of the cracked caramel to accompany the unctuousness of the cream custard.

Sadly, it all seems to end WAY too soon.

Mangia!!
~~

Vanilla Ice-Ice Baby! - Vanilla Bean Semifreddo

We all have cravings for Ice Cream at sometime or another. But let's face the facts, making your own can be a little time consuming. You have to deal with making a custard and chilling it. You have to make sure that your Freeze bowl is in the freezer ahead of time (if you have a Cuisinart, Kitchen Aid or Salton) or worse, you have to deal with Ice and Rock Salt. Oye!

Not that I am really knocking Ice Cream or Gelato in any way. It's just that one does not always have the time. But there is an easier path to frozen deliciousness my friends, oh yes. With a tiny bit of preparation first thing in the morning, while you are drinking your coffee; you can be feasting on frozen fodder after dinner.  All possible because of a frigid frappe that's not quite as well known in the USA as it is in Italy. I speak of the Semifreddo.

Though technically meaning Semi-Frozen/cold, most Semifreddo are indeed frozen treats, being based on either a Custard, Ice Cream or Gelato with copious quantities of whipped cream folded into it.  The idea is that the glacial treat will melt more readily in your mouth and "appear" light and refreshing on the palate.  Granted, this recipe is a bit of a cheaters Semifreddo, forgoing the Custard/Ice Cream/Gelato altogether and relying solely on the air capturing qualities of Whipping Cream.  OK, I guess I should mention that there is a slight amount of cornstarch, courtesy of the Confectioners' sugar, to help stabilize the whipped cream while it is freezing.

What you will end up with is very similar to a frozen mousse.  Quite delicious, and EXTREMELY fast.

Vanilla Bean Semifreddo

16 oz (2 cups) (475 ml) Light Whipping Cream
1/2 cup + 2 TB (10 TB)(2.75 oz)(78 g) Confectioners' Sugar
The caviar scraped from 1 Vanilla Bean (I like Mexican beans for this, but Tonga is nice too)

Butterscotch Sauce (if desired)

Before grabbing your cup of coffee, place a metal bowl in the freezer as well as the molds/container you wish to store your Semifreddo in. (this will make 32 oz of Semifreddo)

Consume your cup of coffee while leisurely perusing the business section of the morning paper or while you check your email. (5 - 10 minutes)  ;)

 

Remove the metal bowl from the freezer and add the Light Whipping Cream, Confectioners' Sugar and Vanilla Caviar then beat until soft peaks form.

Remove the molds (or storage container) from the freezer and spoon into either 8 4-oz molds or into the storage container, then cover as necessary (I was lucky cause these molds have lids)

Place on a baking sheet and move to the freezer for at least 8 hours. (After dinner)

When you have finished your evening meal, simply reach into the freezer and un-mold the Semifreddo onto a plate (this may require briefly dipping the mold in warm water to loosen the semifreddo)

Begin applying the Butterscotch Sauce. (or Raspberry Coulis or any other sauce of deliciousness you have handy... Heck, you can even eat it plain if you like.)

Garnish if desired (I used a hydrangea blossom, but it's not edible)

A tasty treat with 1/2 the fat.  Seriously.  16 oz of light whipping cream makes 32 oz Semifreddo, meaning about 1/2 of the desert is simply air.  So go ahead, have another scoop. :)

Mangia!!
~~

The Lean Mean Bean Goes Green - Vanilla Bean Irish Scones

I need to apologize to all those who are subscribed via email.  Sorry for the second email.  Blogger has been having some severe issues over the last couple of days.  In the process, they "lost" this entry, so I have to re-post it.....  

I have already talked about my favorite scones, being the Cream Scones, but there are many other methods to scone manufacturing. One of my second favorites (OK, let's face it, I love ALL scones) is what I have always considered the “Irish” method. Just like the famous Irish Soda Bread, so too can scones be made in the same way. This usually involves some buttermilk, which always helps to provide a very tender crumb, just as it does when added to a cake recipe.

I will warn you though, since Baking Soda begins to react as soon as it gets wet, unlike Baking Powder, you need to work fast to get these into the oven shortly after adding said Buttermilk, or you will loose some of your leavening. It's OK, once they are baked you can kick back and relax from the flurry of activity; preferably with a warm Soda Scone in your hand, lavishly adorn with rich Crème Fraîche or Devon Cream. ;)

Vanilla Bean Irish Soda Scones

2 3/4 cups (14 oz) (400g) AP Flour
1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz) (75g ) Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cream of Tarter
3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
12 TB (6 oz) (170g) cold Unsalted Butter
1 cup (8 oz) (235 ml) Buttermilk plus a little extra for brushing
1 Vanilla Bean scraped of it's caviar

Preheat oven to 425 F (220C) (gas mark 7) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
Mix AP Flour, Sugar, Baking Soda, Cream of Tarter and Kosher Salt in a bowl.

Cut butter into small pieces and add to the bowl.

Cut the butter into the flour mixture until they are pea-sized.

Split the Vanilla Bean and scrape out the caviar.

Mix the Buttermilk with Vanilla Bean Caviar until you have a uniformly speckled mix.

Pour the Vanilla/Buttermilk over the flour mixture.

Gently mix them together until it forms a soft and sticky dough.

Knead briefly in the bowl until a soft dough forms, then divide the dough in half.

Place a piece of dough on a well floured surface and roll to a thickness of about 1-inch.

Dip a 2-1/2 inch round fluted cutter in flour and cut out the scones by pushing down quickly without twisting.

Cut out the rest of the dough by gathering the trimmings lightly then patting to 1 inch thick again.

Place in the baking sheet and brush lightly with a little Buttermilk.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until well risen and golden.

Cool on a wire rack.

Split in half and serve with Devon Cream or Crème Fraîche.

Mangia!!
~~