At long last here is the crème brulee that I promised while we were on vacation. I made this sweet and creamy custard with two friends of mine several weeks ago. The three of us have been getting together for the last year or so and cooking or baking yummy treats from scratch.
We call our little club “Home Ec.” The name came from our joint desire to make somewhat traditional recipes that we had never made before or at least didn’t typically make on our own. For example, we’ve made jam, pasta, butter, holiday pies, and the latest treat pictured above, crème brulee.
In selecting what we make for Home Ec, we usually pick out recipes that can be assembled in a few hours and eaten immediately. Unfortunately, our planning for crème brulee night wasn’t quite up to par. We were prepared with the ingredients, ramekins, and the torch, but when we got together we quickly realized that none of us had actually read the directions. When we actually did, we discovered that crème brulee needs to be refrigerated for several hours before it is ready to eat.
Since we had everything ready to go and we were all craving crème brulee, we decided to press on. I think all of us were surprised with how quickly the custard came together—I mean crème brulee sounds so exotic and difficult! Of course I must admit having three sets of hands in the kitchen always helps.
Once they had baked, we slipped a few ramekins into the freezer, hoping that they would firm up enough to eat. After catching up on a little bit of gossip and sipping some sparkling wine, we pulled the ramekins out of the freezer and set out to torch them.
Our first torching attempts were not that successful—we covered the tops with a little too much sugar and it was too thick and uneven to melt properly. With a little less sugar, we got perfect shells that cracked into little crispy sheets when we finally dipped into the crème brulees. Without the full refrigeration time the consistency was a little bit different, but the flavor was still there. I think we all had seconds that night. And the leftovers were even better the next day!
Since we didn’t deviate too much from the original recipe, I think it is best to send you to the original source. Please check out Alton Brown’s crème brulee recipe here.
Tasty Easy Healthy Green Recipe Ratings:
| Recipe Report Card | Notes About Recipe Ratings |
|
Tasty Rating Four Chefs (Delicious!) |
The consistency wasn’t quite thick enough the first night, but after the proper amount of refrigeration, it was just perfect! |
|
Easy Rating
Two Easy Chairs (A Long March…) |
Easier than we thought it would be, but requires a torch (not the most common kitchen tool) and a good amount of time before it is ready to eat. |
|
Healthy Rating
One Apple (This Might Take A Year Off Your Life!) |
A calorie, fat and sugar bomb! Definitely a dessert that should be enjoyed only every once and a while and in small quantities. |
|
Green Rating
Three Leaves (Average Environmental Friendliness) |
The cream and sugar were organic and the eggs were local, organic, and cage-free. I’m not sure where the vanilla bean came from, but I’m pretty sure it was not from around here. |
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